Sins of the Family
by Ryals-Shoal
Summary: An attempt on Iruka's life forces him to flee from Konoha with Kakashi as a reluctant bodygaurd. They must uncover the secrets of his family history before the assassin strikes again...that is, unless Iruka becomes tempted to kill Kakashi first. KAKAIRU
1. A Simple Mistake

****Author Notes:** **This is my first Naruto fanfic that I have written in a loooooooong time, and my first serious KakaIru one to boot! I tried to make the characters as canon as possible, so their relationship will progress as the story does. Please be forewarned that this story is unbete'd, and I may have some Naruto-verse terms and character names misspelled. As always, Constructive criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated! :) *Ch. 1 revised 03-03-12*

**A Final Warning:** Please don't read this story if you don't know what Yaoi or KakaIru is, disrespectful comments and flames regarding this will be laughed at and then deleted. So don't bother wasting the energy.

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><p><strong><em><strong>"All sins cast long shadows."<strong>_  
><em>-<em>**_Irish Proverb_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1. A simple mistake<strong>

"Why do I always wait until the last minute to do laundry?" Umino Iruka complained to himself as he hoisted another bag over his shoulder and reached with his free hand for his school satchel. "And why, by the First, do I always wait until midnight to do it!" he grumbled as he struggled with his apartment keys.

The young chuunin-Sensei already knew the answers to both his questions: he barely had time to do chores in the first place, and to do his laundry required a trip to the public Laundromat. Laundry was mind numbingly boring task, and was all too easy to put off when he had so much other work to do. It was just his luck that he had spilled a bottle of ink all over his last pair of wearable pants.

_'Thank the gods for 24 hour Laundromats! At least I could catch up on my grading...or a quick nap'_ he thought with resignation as he wobbled down the stairs with his three overstuffed bags. Iruka doubted that he would get more than five hours sleep tonight with school starting in the morning. It was times like these, weighed down by majority of his wardrobe that Iruka sorely wished that he could afford to live in an apartment with its own washing machine.

Iruka sighed inwardly. _'As if that will ever happen. I barely get paid enough as it is staying in Konoha all this time. I should really ask for some missions to do, or a raise.'_ Like most Konokahuge staff, his wages had been cut in order to fund repairs to Konoha from the Sound's attack. At least they now had Tsunade as Hokage to help organize all the paperwork. Not for the first time, Iruka wished that Naruto was still in Konoha and not off training with Jiraiya. The young Genin usually kept late hours, and was always up for a bowl of free ramen. It had already been three month since he had left, and Iruka sorely missed his company, if not the Ramen bills.

Iruka was in luck. The brightly lit Laundromat was completely void of human life._ 'At least one thing is going my way tonight!'_ he thought as he slammed the round glass door of the washing machine closed on his dirty clothes. He turned away as the machine whirled into life, than settled down on a bench with his overstuffed satchel to wait.

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><p>Forty minutes had passed.<p>

Iruka was just about finished with his last essay when the door chime rang loudly over his head. He nearly jumped out of his seat at the noise, and that small movement caused his stack of graded papers to topple over and scatter all over the floor. "For the love of..." Iruka made a snort of annoyance as he knelt to collect the essays.

"Hm? Is that you Iruka Sensei?"

Iruka froze at the sight of a pair of feet in front of him. He definitely knew that voice. Looking up, his suspicions were confirmed by seeing a tall man with a familiar shock of white hair and a face nearly made invisible by a mask and Hitai-ate covering one eye. "Oh! Uh, Kakashi-san! What are you doing here this evening?" the jounin was among the last of people he had expected to see wandering into a Laundromat at this ungodly hour.

Kakashi tapped a finger on a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. "Laundry. It's what you do in a place like this, right?" He made no move to help gather Iruka's papers.

"Ah yes!" Iruka forced out a chuckle. He really wished that Kakashi would take his foot off Konohomaru's essay, no matter how bad it was. "It's a little late for laundry, isn't it?"

"Hardly anyone comes here so late." Kakashi finally took his foot off Konohomaru's essay long enough for Iruka to snatch it. "It's a good time for catching up on reading."

_'Oh sure, with one of THOSE books.'_ Iruka thought sourly. He hardly knew Hatake Kakashi, and didn't care to know more about the man, though he knew that Kakashi had been good to his genin team despite Iruka's initial protests six months earlier of entering his former students into the chuunin exams.

Apparently deciding that the conversation was over, Kakashi moved away to a nearby washing machine and proceeded to fill it. Iruka felt cheated by his previous good luck. He still had to dry his clothes, and spending another hour awkwardly sharing the Laundromat alone with the copy-nin hardly appealed to him.

After a few moments the sound of another laundry machine started up. Kakashi hopped up on top of the shaking machine and not surprisingly, pulled out a book with a familiar orange cover.

_'At least he'll be quiet._' Iruka thought as he recovered the half graded paper from the pile of finished essays. He was just starting to review where he had left off when Kakashi's lazy drawl interrupted his concentration.

"Do you usually do laundry this late?" The jounin asked without looking up from his book.

"No." Iruka said curtly.

"Hm? You don't have anyone to keep you in bed at this hour?"

_'Typical.'_ It was an effort not to crumple the paper in his hand. Iruka gritted his teeth and counted to ten before answering. "No, and I see that you don't either." Iruka could have sworn that Kakashi's one visible eye had flickered in amusement at the jibe.

"Too bad, for the both of us." Kakashi sighed as he turned a page. "I would have thought that some busty single mother or a horny widow would have snatched you up by now at the Academy."

_'I knew it. He IS holding a grudge for me telling him off.'_ Iruka refused to rise to the bait, and stoically continued his work on the next essay.

The jounin "Hmm'd" quietly to himself and continued to read his book.

Iruka sighed in relief when he heard the buzzer to his laundry finally go off. He carefully placed the stack of papers aside and stood up to stretch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kakashi turn another page in his book._ 'Maybe I will go get ramen after all tonight, though I don't really trust leaving my things alone with Kakashi while my clothes are dry-'_

It was pure survival instinct that saved Iruka's life. His kunai was out and gripped in both hands before Iruka could register the murderous intent.

***CLANG!***

Iruka had barely blocked Kakashi's kunai before it had reached his jugular vein. His grip on the weapon was firm but he could feel the heat of sparks spitting where their blades met. Kakashi reached out with his free hand to grab Iruka by the back of his head to force him closer to their joined weapons. Iruka strained against the hold, he could hear Kakashi grunting with exertion over the sounds of scraping metal. Iruka shifted his weight and elbowed the Kakashi in the face with all his might.

Kakashi's head snapped back from the blow, his Hitai-ate shoved askew to reveal the Sharingan swirling wildly in his eye socket. His other normal eye was wide with a vacant fury not unlike some stone mask of a demon deity.

_'A genjutsu!? And he can't break free!'_ Iruka gasped when his own weapon began to press against his skin. He could not compete against the jounin's strength for much longer. Iruka felt his blade bite into his flesh and a trickle of warm blood creep down the nape of his neck. There was murder in Kakashi's eye, and Iruka was going to die. The jounin's name ripped from Iruka's throat as a strangled plea for the man's mind to break free. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi flung Iruka away with a howl of rage.

Iruka cried out as his back impacted painfully against the wall. In a flash he rolled to his feet, his weapon ready to defend-but there was no need. Kakashi had slumped to his knees, his head bowed and shoulders shaking as he heaved great lungfuls of air. The murderous aura was gone and replaced by the jounin's familiar chakra presence.

Iruka hesitated, unwilling to let his guard down.

"It won't happen again," Kakashi rasped from the other side of the room. Iruka almost didn't hear him over the rumble of laundry machines and his own ragged breathing.

Kakashi lifted his head to face the younger man. The rage that twisted his features had vanished. The Sharingan remained fixed and unmoving, and his right eye held only weariness. Fine lines creased his brow and a sheen of sweat shone on his pale skin. Kakashi appeared utterly drained. "I was able to repel the attack with the Sharingan," he explained in-between deep breaths. "It won't work on me twice now that I know what to expect."

Iruka lowered the kunai, but did not put it away. He clamped a hand over the shallow cut on his throat to staunch the blood, and glanced at the discarded weapon that Kakashi had thrown along with Iruka across the room. The kunai had clattered on the floor between the two men. Kakashi did not make any move to retrieve it. Iruka cautiously made his way to snatch kunai out from the other man's reach. Kakashi impassively watched Iruka without comment. They both knew full well that it was a futile precaution; the jounin had more arsenal in his possession, and he would not necessarily need a weapon should he choose to attack again.

"Are you well enough to travel?" Kakashi asked, his voice held a note of his old brusque self that was immensely reassuring to hear.

"I-I think so." Iruka replied as he shoved Kakashi's kunai into his holster. The prickle that usually crawled over Iruka's skin to warn him of danger was gone, but he did not exactly trust Kakashi enough turn his back to him quite yet. The injury across his throat was minor one, but it was hard to forget that the blade had been only a nudge away from tearing through his windpipe. A moment or two longer would have left Iruka gasping for air and bleeding out on the floor-or with his neck sliced through to the vertebrae. Iruka felt an involuntary shudder at that thought; Kakashi was more than capable of performing that particular feat single-handedly. Iruka had been unable to hold off Kakashi's weapon with both hands and Kakashi had very nearly overpowered him attacking with just one. The vast difference between himself and the jounin's brute strength was a terrifying revelation.

Kakashi stood up from the floor and adjusted his Hitai-ate to cover the Sharingan. He made no attempt to approach Iruka or an offer to inspect his wound. "We must report to the Godaime immediately." He had finally managed to catch his breath and his tone brooked no argument.

Iruka pulled his hand away from his throat, his fingers were stained red with blood. "Of course."

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><p>It was now 5:12 am.<p>

Iruka tore his eyes away from the clock and fidgeted with a stray end of the bandage around his neck. His class started in a few hours, and he had long given up all pretense that he was going to get any sleep before he was due to arrive. Iruka tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn, and winced at the effort. The shallow cut from the kunai stung whenever he moved.

Several hours had passed since they had arrived at the Hokage's headquarters. Pertaining to protocol, both Iruka and Kakashi had been separated and whisked away for evaluation. Iruka had finished his interrogation hours ago but was forbidden to leave until Kakashi's assessment was complete. Until then, Iruka had to put up with both Izumo and Kotetsu's presence (of which both refused to talk to him) in the small interrogation room. Iruka sorely wished that he had remembered to grab his satchel before fleeing the Laundromat. He still had other papers to grade.

Iruka looked up at the sound of a knock on the windowless door. Izumo opened the door to reveal Shizune standing with a record book grasped tightly in her arms. "Tsunade-sama is ready." Her face carefully hid any expression when she glanced at Iruka.

Iruka stood from his chair to follow the young woman. Both Kotetsu and Izumo flanked the chuunin as they strode down the long hallways. Iruka had anticipated being summoned one last time before being dismissed, but he could not help feel like he was a prisoner on his way to meet the warden. Shizune made a gesture for Iruka's escorts to wait outside when they finally reached the Hokage's personal office. She gave Iruka a reassuring smile before motioning him inside.

Godaime Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of Konoha and the first woman ever to hold that title sat comfortably at her desk. The mess of paperwork that usually cluttered her working space was (for once) minimal. She gave the briefest of nods to acknowledge Iruka's presence before resettling her attention between two documents she held in one hand, her chin resting on the other. She did not seem to notice the ANBU guards that stood in a row and motionless behind her.

The guards did not spare Iruka a single glance. All five of the ANBU's featureless masks were fixed on the man that stood slouching across the room. Hatake Kakashi gave the impression of being unaffected by the hostile stares, though Iruka noted that he had positioned himself a good distance away from Tsunade's desk with his back nearly pressed against the wall. Kakashi did not even look in Iruka's direction when he moved to stand beside the jounin. Iruka could sense that underneath that pretense of calm, Kakashi was tense with anxiety.

Tsunade placed the documents on her desk and looked up at the two men. Her face was carefully composed and all business as she addressed them both. "We have come to the conclusion that an outside influence has attempted an unknown genjutsu attack through Hatake Kakashi earlier this evening."

"No shit." Kakashi muttered under his breath.

"However," Tsudnade continued after shooting a glare in Kakashi's direction. "Through his use of the Sharingan, Kakashi was able to successfully repel the unidentified genjutsu and has assured me that any future attempts to do so will have no effect on his person."

Kakashi gave a slight nod in agreement.

"On the other hand," Tsunade glared down at both Iruka and Kakashi's written reports. "The genjustu could have merely gone awry due to the Sharingan's influence. Kakashi would be an ideal weapon to control for an assassination attempt on myself or any other high ranking council member, and it is possible that you were not the primary target."

"Ah, that would make sense." Iruka agreed, feeling a smile of relief tug at his lips. "Why go through such trouble to control a shinobi like Hatake-san just to get at me? It's almost overkill."

"Even so, could there be any justification?"

"I haven't left Konoha in nearly three months." Iruka replied. "Before that, my assignments outside the village have been few and far in-between, and classified D and C rank at that."

"Spare me the modesty, Umino-san. You have successfully completed several B and even a few A rank missions-though those were a long time ago." Tsunade tapped a manicured finger on a thick folder that contained the bulk of Iruka's shinobi career. "All had few violent incidents, and from what you and your team mates had reported there was little negative interaction between yourself and the clients. Of what we know, the little there was would not warrant an attempt at your life. Have you affronted anyone of nobility-or an outside clan as of late? "

"No." Iruka shook his head. "I'm not important enough to have acquired any enemies like that. I can't think of anyone that would want to kill a simple Academy teacher."

Tsunade smiled wryly. "And an overworked one at that."

"It may not be as simple as it seems." Kakashi interrupted. "The genjutsu was channeling an outside party into both my body and mind." His one eye flickered between Tsunade and her ANBU guards. "It is different than the Yamanaka clan's technique; they puppet the host's body while leaving the victim's mind aware of being controlled. This new method not only manipulates a host's body, but is also able to provoke the mind into a blind fury. I am not sure if the attack was specifically directed at Iruka, or just at any nearby target. There is no doubt in my mind that the shinobi using the genjutsu technique was watching from behind my eyes, and ready to control my body the moment my mental barriers were down."

"Fascinating..." Tsunade murmured as she leaned back into her chair, her hands folded under her nose as she fixed her hazel eyes on Iruka. "There is one possibility that could have made you a target." Her pencil-thin eyebrows furrowed over a penetrating stare, her eyes like chips of ice. "Your death would have an immense impact on Uzumaki Naruto's mental stability. Who knows what he is capable of consumed by vengeance and backed by the power of the Kyuubi straining to break free. A little push in the wrong direction by the Akatsuki's hand could have the boy practically leaping into their palm." She lowered her hands. Her intense expression did not waver. "In a sense, Umino Iruka, you are both the most valuable and the most vulnerable person in our village. I am actually surprised that it has taken the Akatsuki this long to have ferreted you out."

A chill crawled up Iruka's spine. The possibility of being singled out by the Akatsuki was one he had been briefed on before-and the sole reason why he had been confined to Konoha village in the three months since Naruto had left to train with Jiraiya. But to have it happen so suddenly-and in a Laundromat of all places!

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, your assumption is just a theory, and a hasty one at that." Kakashi's low voice cut through the ice in Tsunade's stare. "If the Akatsuki had the power to control a shinobi like myself, Iruka would probably be on the bottom of their list of targets to hit first." The jounin inclined his head. "Assassinating our Hokage would cause more ripples throughout the Fire Nation than the death of a chuunin-rank Academy teacher; despite his connection to Naruto." He glanced at Iruka out from the corner of his eye. "No offense, but infiltrating our village to kill a person such as yourself would be too high of a risk for just the possibility of goading the Jinchuraki into violence."

"That is a possibility," Tsunade's mouth twisted in thought. "Though the Akatsuki's intentions concerning Naruto are unknown at this point."

"I have served with Uchiha Itachi as an ANBU operative." Kakashi's single eye twitched in memory. "Since the Akatsuki include him among their ranks, we should assume that the organization is composed of members with a similar, if not superior strategic capability. I sincerely doubt that the Akatsuki would lose the upper hand of revealing this new power all for a gamble of chance-that is to say, if they are involved at all."

"Agreed, we cannot assume to know the enemy's intent." Tsunade nodded in approval of Kakashi's words. The tilt of her lips suggested that she had reached a decision. "Whether the Akatsuki are behind this genjutsu technique or not, it would be foolish to be unprepared for the worst. I will issue the guards to be doubled at our most vulnerable points of government and defense." Turning to Iruka, a tired expression crossed her features. She suddenly appeared smaller surrounded by her eerily silent ANBU guards. "Unfortunately our resources are strained enough as it is, Iruka-san, and we cannot afford to have more than one bodyguard watching over you at this time."

Iruka drew himself up and did not bother to hide the indignation that shone in his eyes. "Hokage-sama, you forget that I am a shinobi first, then an Academy teacher last" he stated with barely suppressed irritation. "As you said, our resources are strained. A babysitter assigned to watch over me would accomplish little if our village is at risk. I am fully capable of defending myself if another incident occurs."

Kakashi's was mildly surprised at the Iruka's outburst. So, the chuunin-Sensei did have a little pride as a shinobi after all.

"Very well," Tsunade said, her tone a little vexed at having to agree. "Just be on your guard and report anything suspicious directly to me." She flicked her wrist and the five ANBU guards bowed stiffly before disappearing without a sound. "I will issue all available ANBU operatives to search for this hostile shinobi, and I want you, Kakashi, to join them when you are able to report for duty."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders in resignation.

"If I may, Hokage-Sama?" Iruka politely implied. "My class will start in a few hours."

"Yes yes, you are dismissed." Tsunade gave Iruka a final hard look. "Be on your toes."

The chuunin bowed his head first to Tsunade, then to Kakashi before taking his leave.

Kakashi watched Iruka disappear behind the door. His warrior instincts prickled like they always did before the start of a battle. Regardless of what the old lady said he was certain that the Akatsuki were not involved. Kakashi could not help suspect Umino Iruka was somehow more directly tangled in whatever web this faceless enemy had spinning. But to what ends? Granted, Iruka was a Konoha shinobi with personal connections to the Kyuubi host-but he was little more than that. Quoting the chuunin, hardly anything could be gained from murdering 'a simple Academy teacher.'

Kakashi did not like this puzzle, not one little bit.

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><p><em>'What a horrible, horrible night.'<em> Iruka thought sourly as he left the Laundromat, his heavy clothes bag in one hand and school satchel grasped in the other. The clock inside the building had read 6:23 am, leaving him with less than two hours to finish the last of his grading before school started. He didn't need to look in a mirror to know how haggard he looked. The stress of nearly being murdered had the tendency to reflect on a person's face. 'At least I look appropriate for a Monday morning.' Iruka tried to focus on a cool breeze to help refresh his senses.

Several civilians and a few early rising shinobi were out and about in the summer morning. Iruka smiled fondly as he passed the Ichiraku ramen stand and waved to the young woman unlocking the gate to the stall._ 'I should probably eat something, but I doubt my stomach could handle ramen at this time. Some fruit would be easier to digest.'_

He altered his course to the open market stands of which many vendors were setting out their wares for the day. Iruka closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He was too close to the butcher stall to get a good whiff of the produce, but beneath the odor of dried animal blood and freshly carved meat he could smell what he was looking for: white peaches.

Some primal instinct screamed for Iruka to freeze in mid-step. A split second after doing so a long cleaver spun wildly before his nose-flashing bright with the rising sun-before burying itself point-first into a nearby telephone pole.  
>For several rapid heartbeats, Iruka remained frozen with his left foot hovering above the ground. A bead of cold sweat dropped from under his Hitai-ate. The knife would have impaled his head if he had completed that last step.<p>

"By the Gods!" A woman shrieked and popped out from behind the butcher stall. Her plump face was white with shock and contrasted starkly against her blood-smeared apron. "Sensei, are you hurt? Oh, please forgive a clumsy old woman!"

Iruka forced out one of his brightest smiles before turning to face the elderly butcher. "Please, don't be upset Aoki-san. We shinobi have good reflexes-you should know that by how fast your granddaughter runs around in my class." He chuckled in a weak attempt to alleviate the mood. "What happened, exactly?"

"Well..." the Aoki matron's hand twisted her apron nervously. "My arthritis has been a' bothering me right sorely lately. My hand just gone an' cramped up as I was just about to hack into a stubborn ole' ham bone." She bowed her head to hide the tears that rolled down her round cheeks. "I never hurt nobody before. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I did!"

"Go to the hospital, and have someone else cut the meat today." Iruka advised as he tried to calm the sobbing woman. "I'm sure that everything will be fine after your hand is examined, then this won't happen again."

Ten minutes later, Iruka had waved his farewells and resumed his route to school. All thoughts of breakfast and white peaches completely driven from his mind.

Once he was sure that he was out of sight of the market stalls, he finally released a shaky breath. His nerves were going to be especially fried by the end of the day after two close calls involving sharp objects. Iruka shook his head in despair. And school had yet to get started!

The young teacher quickened his pace. The early morning weather no longer seemed as pleasant as before. He debated on whether to turn around and report the incident to Tsunade, but he still had papers to grade-and surely an old butcher with arthritis was nothing unusual. Iruka had known the old women his entire life, and could guarantee without a doubt that she was not an assassin that was out to get him.

No, it was a simple mistake.

Just that.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. The Eyes of a Child

**Author's Notes:** This story practically fought its way out and demanded to be told. I'm happy to write it but a little scared to share it, for even as a mere fanfic it means a lot to me. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and thank you so much for reading! _*Chapter 2 revised 03-2-12*_

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><p><strong>Ch. 2: The Eyes of a Child<strong>

Iruka had forgotten the strange incident with the butcher as he became absorbed in the reassuring rhythm of his daily routine. He had just finished grading the last essay before first bell rang to signal the start of class, and the entirety of his students poured in from both the door and windows.

Iruka straightened the stack of papers and stood up smiling. "Good morning class."

"Good morning sensei!" Twenty three young voices replied back.

"Iruka-Sensei! What happened to your neck!?" Konohomaru demanded excitedly. "Did you get hurt on a mission?"

Iruka had already prepared an explanation. "It's a cut from a training accident. Even adults make a mistake, sometimes."

"I bet it's a hickey." Hyuuga Hanabi muttered under her breath. A few of the students giggled at the remark.

Iruka's eyebrow twitched. He really didn't have the patience for snide remarks today, so he chose to ignore it. "I have finished grading everyone's family tree essays, and I will say that I am very impressed with every one's family or favorite hero." He handed the stack of papers to a student to start passing around. "We will continue with our study of families today. Does anyone know another term that's commonly used when researching about your family history?"

Moegi raised her hand. "Gynecology?" she asked innocently.

_'Kids these days...' _"It's pronounced Genealogy, Moegi." Iruka corrected. "It's the study of your ancestry and family histories. Can anyone tell me why this is important? Yes, Udon?"

Udon sniffled and pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. "To uhhh...remember our ancestors?"

"Very good. It is also a good way to honor them and everything they have done for us. Especially since without your ancestors, none of you would exist." Iruka walked to the chalkboard where he had tacked a poster the previous week. On it was a simple diagram showing Iruka's family history; from his parents to both sets of grandparents. "I would like everyone to make a poster this week with at least five family members on it, or a poster of your favorite Konoha hero." Iruka always made sure that there was an alternate choice for students in this particular lesson plan. He could clearly recall how Naruto had decided to make a poster of himself as the future Hokage of Konoha. He had a feeling that Konohomaru might do the same.

"Iruka-Sensei?" a soft voice asked from the back of the room.

"Yes, Shizu?"

The little blond haired girl stared at the surface of her desk. "Do we have to put everybody in our poster?"

Iruka inwardly sighed. He was well aware, as was the rest of the village, of Shizu's older brother recent desertion from the Leaf in favor of the Sound. He doubted that her brother's name was even spoken in the young girl's household. "You and everyone else can decide how many family members you would like to include in your project."

Shizu made a little smile of gratitude that lifted Iruka's spirits at bit. He was about to change the course of his lesson plan to weapons when Shizu unexpectedly spoke again.

"Sensei, who were your grandparents?"

"My grandparents?" Iruka paused, finding it a little unusual for a student to be so direct about his personal history-let alone about people that were long dead before any of the children have been born. "Like everyone else, Shizu, I have two sets of grandparents on either side of my family that had raised each of my parents, and therefore contributed to create me."

"Yes, but _who?"_

Iruka almost frowned at the question. "Their names are on my poster, Shizu. My father's parents Shinji and Yuki Umino, and my mother's parents Torichi and Keano Hashi." Iruka's mouth fixed into a firm line. "Now everyone, shall we go outside to—"

"Did they have any other kids besides your mom?" Shizu pressed, sounding strangely eager. A few students turned in their seats to give her odd looks.

Okay, now that question was _weird._ "Okay kids! I think now is a good time to go outside for some weapons practice!"

The Academy students cheered and flew aside their notebooks and essays (the ones that Iruka had fought so hard to complete) and practically scrambled over each other in their haste for any excuse to handle sharp pointy objects. Iruka shook his head ruefully at the mess. He really did not expect any less after returning the homework to the children. The students could run around all they want, only Iruka could unlock the safe and give them any weapons to practice with.

"Sensei?" Shizu was the only student to remain behind in the classroom. She stood stoically before her teacher; her head bowed enough for her shoulder length hair to obscure her eyes, though Iruka could see that Shizu's mouth was pulled tight as if she was trying her hardest not to cry. "My brother is never coming home, is he? No one at my house ever talks about him anymore!"

Iruka chose his next words carefully. It was not the first time that a student confided with him, and it would not be the last. "Shizu, your brother is his own person and made a decision that he felt was best for him. I can't say that he won't ever return, but if he does then he will have to face the consequences of his actions."

Shizu's lower lip trembled. "Will everybody just forget about him if he never does?"

"You are his sister; you have the choice to remember him however you would like. When you are older and decide to have children of your own, it will be your decision alone on how you want them to know about your brother; both the good and the bad."

The young student made a choking sound and ran up to her sensei. Iruka gently stroked her straw colored hair as the young girl cried softly into his vest.

He gasped in surprise as a sharp pressure stung in his side. At the same moment Shizu leaped away in a quick blur of motion. She landed in a crouch on the floor, blood dripped from a thin knife grasped in her hand.

"Shizu-!?" Iruka looked down to see a dark stain quickly spreading from the left side of his abdomen, and then the pain truly hit him. He grunted and took a step back as blood—too much blood—streamed down under his clothes to trickle down his leg. The stab wound hurt and bled far too much, a sure sign that the blade was poisoned.

Shizu rose from the floor and took a step towards her teacher; the young girl's face had contorted into that of a killer. Her green eyes held that same vacant fury that had controlled Kakashi the night before.

"No. Shizu...run. Get away from here!" Iruka managed to gasp before his back collided against his desk. His vision began to swim as he slid to the floor, his legs no longer seemed to work. He could only focus on Shizu's face. All semblance of the girl that he had comforted moments before was gone, only naked malice that no child should ever possess remained in her eyes.

**"You will _die_ Hashibara!"** Shizu hissed in a voice thick with hatred. Her grip on the knife tightened as she raised it, and then lunged for Iruka's throat.

Something large and grey streaked across the room and collided into the girl. It hit Shizu with enough force to throw both across the room and crash into the neat rows of desks and chairs, leaving only a splintered heap in their wake.

Iruka's eyesight cleared long enough for him to see a sleek greyhound with a Hitai-ate tied around its neck standing over Shizu among the wreckage of the classroom. The young girl sat up straight with a startled yelp at the sight of the huge ninkin. Her eyes were once again that of a child, and held confusion and rising panic at the destruction around her. Then Iruka's world began to go dim.

"Iruka!" a familiar voice cried. Iruka could only recognize Kakashi by the silver hair as the other man knelt down to press a hand to Iruka's wound. "Stay with me, help is coming."

Darkness crept into the edge of Iruka's vision. He knew that he shouldn't let it take him, but he hurt too much and his mind was too numb to really care. He was vaguely aware of Kakashi's stern voice talking to him over the noise of Shizu's high pitched wailing. He thought that he could hear Anko shouting orders from somewhere outside the classroom.

It was wall too much. Iruka closed his eyes and welcomed the darkness.

**END OF CHAPTER 2**


	3. Exiled

**CHAPTER 3: Exiled**

Iruka woke very slowly. The first things that he noticed were that the lights above were too bright and his head _hurt._With a groan Iruka squeezed his eyes shut and tried to turn away from the hurtful glare.

"Genma, please tell the Godaime that he is awake."

That was Hatake Kakashi's voice. The Chuunin opened his eyes into a squint to see Kakashi sitting calmly at his bedside, the familiar orange book in hand. "Back from the dead, I see." The Jounin mused calmly as he tucked the novel back into his vest.

"What happened?" Iruka's voice was barely above a whisper, but sounded too loud in his own ears.

"You were stabbed by the assassin who used one of your students as his weapon, she had a knife that was poisoned with an anticoagulant masked with her chakra. If she had been able to stab you twice, then even the Hokage wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding."

"Shizu!" Iruka's eyes snapped open and he jerked himself upright-which was a _big_mistake. He gasped out loud as an intense stabbing pain shot through his left side. The white washed walls of the small room swirled crazily before his eyes and acidic bile rose in the back of his throat.

"Careful." Kakashi warned and gently, but firmly pushed him back down on the bed. "The wound is closed but the poison has only just left your system, and you have lost a lot of blood in the last two days."

"Two _days?"_Iruka closed his eyes and forced himself to remain calm. "What about my student, Toriyama Shizu? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, aside from having quite a fright and a few bruises from Uuhei-kun crashing into her. I couldn't get to you in time so I sent my fastest sprinting nin-dog to stop her. She does not remember attacking you."

Iruka became aware of a sharp pain on his right hand. In a glance he saw an I.V. line taped on the surface of his hand with red tubes gently pushing blood into a vein. His mind reeled at the sudden enormity of his close brush with death.

"You're almost done with the last one." Kakashi gently tapped the half empty blood packet hanging on the pole. "It's a good thing that 'O' blood type is so common, I've lost count on how much blood Tsunade had to give you."

"Did you find hi—the assassin?" The Chuunin asked, almost dreading the answer.

"No." Kakashi regarded the injured man as he visibly sagged at the answer. Iruka looked far younger with his hair down, though Kakashi sometimes forgot that the Chuunin-Sensei was only a year younger than himself.

Iruka's shoulders suddenly stiffened at a new thought. "Wait, you were following me?"

"Hmm, not exactly. I sent a nin-dog to sniff for trouble around you as soon as I was able to leave the old lady's office." Kakashi shrugged one shoulder. "I had a suspicion that the enemy may have been after you, but only the First knows the reason why. There have been no other incidents or assassination attempts in the village, so we must assume that you alone are the primary target."

"It's my fault that it got this bad." Iruka sat up more slowly, taking care not to pull on the I.V. line attached to his hand. He grimaced as the wound in his side protested at the movement. "Before I got to school, a butcher's knife nearly impaled my head. I thought that it was just an accident."

"Is that so?" Kakashi's one eye narrowed ever so slightly with disdain. "And then you were careless enough to go to the Academy and get your students involved."

Iruka was too miserable to care that Kakashi agreed with him so callously, though a small part of him in the back of his mind seethed at the Jounin's sharp words, even if they were deserved. "I had no reason to think that anyone would want me dead! Hell, I have barely left the village in the last two years. I don't know _anyone_that would go through these lengths to kill me."

Kakashi sat back in his chair, his arms casually folded across his chest. "Did anything strange happen with Shizu before or after she attacked? Did she do or say anything out of the ordinary that might show she was being controlled?"

The Chuunin was about to shake his head, then paused. "My grandparents."

"Hm?"

"Shizu asked me about my grandparents right before I released class. Whoever it was that was speaking through her, they practically demanded to know if my mother's parents had any other decedents." He shook his head ruefully. "It had struck me as such an odd question to suddenly come from a child."

"Your grandparents." Kakashi seemed intrigued. "Did she say anything else?"

Iruka thought back hard on the event, it was almost just a confused blur of pain and Shizu's remorseless eyes. "Yes. After I was stabbed she said something about me being the last of the 'Hashibara' clan." His brown eyes widened with realization. "Could she have meant my grandfather Torichi? His family name was Hashi, but as far as I know he was not related to anyone with Hashibara as a family name."

"How much do you know about your grandfather?"

"He died when I was very young, as did all of my grandparents. They were all killed during the Third Shinobi World War or while on missions." Iruka shrugged. "My mother told me that he traveled to live in Konoha when he was a boy, and that he arrived penniless and alone. He never talked about his past, but he lived his entire life as a Chuunin loyal to the Fire Country. My mother suspected that he may have originally been from the westernmost part of the River Country, by his slight accent."

Kakashi made a small noise of satisfaction. "That sounds like our lead, if nothing else."

Iruka glanced at the door at the sound of a quiet tap. Kakashi quickly rose from his seat to open a small sliding window set in the door, and quietly talked with the person on the other side. It was then that Iruka noticed that the room they were in was actually an interrogation chamber converted into a temporary hospital room. There were no windows, and the only door had locks set from the inside the room, which were currently bolted to prevent entry from the outside hallway. He was not at the hospital, but at the Konoha Administration Building. Iruka gripped the bed sheets tightly in his fists. What exactly was going on?

The sliding window snapped shut and Kakashi turned to face Iruka, a small black bag in hand. "I have just spoken with Tsunade, it appears that we are to leave tonight."

"What? What do you mean _leave?"_Iruka was incredulous at the statement.

"You are a danger to yourself and to others," Kakashi gestured one hand across the sparse room. "Present company excluded, of course. Since you have been here the assassin has tried to possess three other people, including the Hokage herself while she was treating you. And this is despite the wards Tsunade had placed around this room. The enemy has also made two attempts to possess me while I've been guarding you, though both times I was able to repel and pinpoint his general location whenever he did so. He has not made any more tries to control me after realizing that."

The Chuunin could only stare in disbelief. "He's made that many attempts? Why go through all this trouble—I mean, why not just possess me and force my hand to kill myself? This doesn't make any sense!"

"No, it does not make any sense." Kakashi agreed and tossed the black bag onto the bed. "Here, take two of the pills in the bag. They will give you the strength you need to run with me from here."

"Run where?" Iruka looked glumly at the bag in his lap.

"To the River Country, if what your mother assumed about your grandfather Hashi is correct." Kakashi leaned his tall frame against the door. "Whoever it is that is after your life must have a blood feud of a sort against your family. Your grandfather may have sought asylum in Konoha as a boy for that very reason, and it would have been logical for him to not want to divulge anything from his past that may lead his enemies here."

Iruka closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. It was too much, everything in his world had been normal and routine a few days ago, and now everything had been turned upside down. Opening his eyes, he frowned at the bag of drugs and gave Kakashi a hard look. "You're going with me?"

The Copy-nin nodded wearily. "By orders of the Godaime, I am to act as your bodyguard and infiltrator during the duration of these assassination attempts. It seems that only I can refute the genjutsu possession technique, and anyone else would just be a potential tool for the enemy." Kakashi hardly looked pleased at the assignment, and Iruka couldn't really blame him. _'So I will get a babysitter after all.''_

"Before we go," Iruka gave the Jounin a level look. "I would like to speak with Shizu. I need to explain to her that my injury was not her fault."

"That's not going to happen." Kakashi shook his head. "She has already been used as the enemy's pawn, and he could easily do so again. Another possession could result in her injury."

The Chuunin's jaw was set stubbornly, and his dark eyes hardened. "You are a very good shinobi, Kakashi. And I am a good teacher. I understand children, and I guarantee that Shizu needs to see me for reassurance. If what you have told me is true she stabbed me without any knowledge of doing so and is scared and ashamed of herself, and maybe even frightened that she would attack someone that she loves. If I don't see her before I leave, the consequences to her psyche could be permanent."

"Yes, but—"

"It is my job to train and teach the next generation of shinobi in Konoha!" Iruka snapped, a trace of vehemence in his otherwise even voice. Kakashi would have taken a step backwards in surprise if he was not already leaning against the door. "The consequences could be dire if left alone. Would you really want to serve with a kunoichi who might not have full confidence in herself?" Iruka sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his loose hair, his muscles slackening in defeat. "Please, let me do my job. This may be the last time for me, and I would be at greater ease knowing that I tried my best."

Kakashi couldn't think of anything to say against Iruka's words. He shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. But you won't have long and I will have to be present."

Iruka's mouth quirked into a parody of a half smile. "Thanks."

_'This is going to be one long mission if he's this prone to hissy fits.'_Kakashi thought with resignation as he turned to knock on the window panel to signal the guards.

* * *

><p>Hatake Kakashi was officially impressed...but only a little.<p>

Iruka had only five minutes to talk to the young Academy student, but it had seemed that it was all the time the Chuunin-Sensei needed to reassure Shizu that she was _not_ at fault for the attack, and that her Sensei really _was_alright and getting better. He had even turned the visit into a mini-lecture of sorts, explaining how the complex genjutsu might have worked to control her mind and body.

Kakashi himself wouldn't have felt comfortable being so direct and frank with such a young child, his past experiences in doing so were always awkward and seemed to make the situation worse. He was far better at dealing with Genin youths around his former teams' age, at least then they were old enough for him not to be too worried on making his students suddenly burst into tears at his natural bluntness.

The Copy-nin shook his head in bemusement. Iruka even had enough gall to give his student a homework assignment based on the incident, and reminded her to be good to her new teacher until he came back. The Jounin was surprised how the young girl had arrived grim and fidgety, then left with a smile and a bounce to her step as she left the room to rejoin her mother.

The Chuunin sighed and leaned back into his pillow when the door closed behind Shizu. "Children need to have a sense of normalcy when something like this happens" he explained to Kakashi. "She wouldn't have accepted an explanation from anyone else until she was reassured that I was not seriously injured."

"Hn." Kakashi replied, not really wanting to show the small bit of admiration he felt. Instead he turned to collect a small bundle of clothing by the door. "It is nearly time to leave. I will help you get dressed if you need it."

"No, I think I will be fine." Iruka popped a few blood-red energy pills into his mouth and made a face as he swallowed them dry. "What exactly is the plan?" he asked as he accepted the standard Konoha shinobi uniform.

"The Godaime has organized a mass diversion." Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha book as he waited for Iruka to dress. "Several elite Jounin will be using the illusionary technique to assume our appearances, and they will be leaving in pairs all at once in different directions. Hopefully the enemy will be distracted enough that we can slip through his range and make our escape."

"That doesn't sound like a very good plan." Iruka winced as he pulled the I.V. needle from his hand, a few drops of blood spilled on his white hospital gown.

"It is the best plan due to the circumstances" Kakashi idly replied as he flipped to his bookmarked page. "This way, the people that are targeted for possession are capable shinobi able to defend themselves and possibly locate the assassin, and are not children or citizens."

"Oh." Iruka did not mean for his statement to have sounded so ungrateful. "It's just that, I don't want anyone else to get hurt or killed at my expense."

"You should know that Konoha shinobi take care of their own." Kakashi's face was invisible behind the orange book. "Especially for a beloved Sensei such as yourself, many of those who volunteered for this mission are current and former parents of your students."

Iruka ducked his head as he pulled on a black shirt. Even if the Jounin's face was hidden, he did not want to show the conflicting emotions that he knew were plain on his face. He had no idea that any of the parents—even some whom he might have had argued with in the past, would be willing to risk their well being for a mere Chuunin ranked Academy teacher.

It was a humbling revelation.

* * *

><p>Kakashi unlocked the door and popped his head into the hallway. "We are ready."<p>

Tsunade nodded at the Copy-nin and faced two dozen shinobi waiting expectantly in the wide corridor. "Transform!" She commanded. All at once the high ranking shinobi transformed into six different Iruka's and Kakashi's. The original Kakashi nodded his head in approval as the disguised shinobi filed past, he had made sure that the Iruka-copies had the slight limp in their gait that the real Iruka possessed due to his injury. He retreated back into the room to make his last preparations.

Tsunade walked up to an Iruka copy and glowered at him. "Spit that out Genma. Iruka does _not_chew on a senbon."

The Iruka/Genma pulled a face and spat the stick out. Kakashi/Raido snickered at his partner.

"I sincerely hope that motherfuck tries to come after me." Iruka/Anko said as she punched the palm of her hand with a fist, her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light that was rather unsettling on Iruka's features.

"I agree, I can't wait to sink my teeth into that bastard!" Anko's partner Kakashi/Inuzuka Tsume flashed a wolfish smile under her cloth mask.

"Hey, remember to stay in character." Kakashi/Asuma reminded as he ground his cigarette in a nearby planter. Iruka/Kuranai raised an eyebrow in disapproval at Asuma's blatant cruelty to the plant, but nodded in agreement at his words.

"Feh, even if he were to come at you, he would just use that possession genjutsu on you." Iruka/Nara Shikaku growled as he tugged at his hair. The veteran Shadow-nin obviously approved of Iruka's hairstyle, which was very similar to his own familiar ponytail.

"I am rather curious to test my abilities against this foe." Kakashi/Yamanaka Inoichi smiled grimly. "In a way I am eager to see whose possession technique will be more powerful."

"Be careful of what you wish for." Kakashi/Hyuuga Hiashi warned as he adjusted the Hitai-ate over his left eye, and disliking the blind spot it created.

"Yeah, this enemy might make you eat your own words." Kakashi/Akamichi Chōza discreetly popped a potato chip under his cloth mask. "Even if the Yamanaka technique is similar, there's no telling the consequences if your two genjutsus collide."

"If trouble does happen..." Iruka/Shizune rested one hand on the kunai strapped to her thigh. The normally gentle kunoichi's lips curled into a slight snarl. "I will welcome it!"

"COMRADES!" It was almost painful to see Iruka/Maito Gai spin around and flash a 'Nice Guy' pose in the Chuunin's body. "Let us not forget that the fate of the GENTLE and ever so BRILLIANT and MAGNIFICENT beloved Sensei of our YOUTHFUL children rests in our most CAPABLE hands!" Iruka/Gai's oversized teeth sparkled prettily in the florescent lights. Kakashi/Hyuuga took a step back and paled a bit at his assigned partner.

"That is enough squirrel chatter from the lot of you!" Tsunade slammed her foot into the floor, the noise instantly silencing the gathered shinobi. "Now," Tusnade casually stepped over the small crater in the tiled floor as she addressed the assembly. "You will only have three minutes to assume your positions and ready yourselves for flight. Remember to head north, south, and east only, and direct your routes into the surrounding forest away from civilians. I want Shikaku and Inoichi to guard the westernmost perimeters of Konoha as cover while Kakashi and Iruka slip through the forest."

The Godaime pulled several small scrolls from her robe and handed one to each of the shinobi. "I need not remind any of you of the danger. If any of your partners get possessed use one of these scrolls to paralyze them, they will also act as a beacon for the ANBU warriors scattered throughout the forest to help track the whereabouts of the enemy, and whomever else that may be accompanying them. We cannot assume that the enemy is acting as a single unit!"

She spun on her heels to face the small army. "Good luck to all of you. Dismissed!"

At the command the twelve disguised Jounin scattered in four different directions before their leader could even blink. All that remained in the empty corridor was Tsunade standing alone, grim faced and robes fluttering from their swift flight.

* * *

><p>"Are you able to manage a transformation?" Kakashi asked Iruka as they entered the deserted corridor. Pakkun the little pug-nin trotted out behind the two shinobi.<p>

"I think so." Iruka wobbled a bit as he stepped into the hall. The energy pills he had taken made his muscles twitchy from unspent energy that was not his own, and added a floating surreal quality to his surroundings. He almost felt like he was moving far too slow and his mind was moving way too fast, but the pain in his left side was now only a faint irritating throb. "I feel funny."

"Then you are definitely ready to go." Kakashi checked a small stopwatch as they neared the end of the hallway towards a huge window. "We have to move fast, only two minutes are left before takeoff. Pakkun?"

The nin-dog jumped up onto the open window and cautiously sniffed the still night air. "All's clear in the west. We will need to move south-west and circle around to remain downwind of our destination."

"Agreed." The Jounin turned towards the Chuunin, an eyebrow raised as Iruka continued to stand with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh, right." Iruka made the proper hand signals and disappeared in a white cloud of smoke. In his place was a fierce masked ANBU warrior standing grimly to attention. The disguised Iruka lost a bit of his intimidating presence when he swayed slightly from the spent chakra.

"Good." Kakashi transformed himself into his former ANBU uniform, but with his familiar white mane exchanged to a braided brunette. He had expected some complications from Iruka's weakened state, and Kakashi doubted that the Chuunin could hold onto the transformation for more than fifteen minutes._ 'It should be enough time, if the distraction works.'_the Copy-nin thought as he hopped up onto the windowsill, Iruka did the same with minimal difficulty of keeping his balance.

The stopwatch 'dinged' softly in Kakashi's vest. "Let's go!"

Fourteen figures streaked at a blinding speed from the Administration Building. Almost immediately the attacks began. Iruka's heart hammered wildly as the sounds of distant curses and even louder explosions reached his ears. He wanted with all his heart to turn around and face his enemy, and to aid the brave shinobi who were committed to fighting his battle. The sounds of fighting quickly faded the farther he and his bodyguard traveled away from the village. Pakkun was only a dark blur in the starlight.

A few minutes later, they reached the edge of the forest. Iruka paused long enough to glance back, but all that he could see was the distant outline of Konoha silhouetted against the night sky. A huge cloud of smoke was barely visible from the east. Iruka felt a chill run down his spine when he spotted the explosion, and was about to take a step back towards the village when Kakashi grabbed his elbow in a vice-like grip.

"Don't waste their sacrifice for you." The ANBU masked Jounin sounded regretful himself as he forcefully led his companion into the woods. Iruka took one last desperate glimpse at the village, the source of everything that he loved-and briefly wondered if the sight would be his last memory of his home before Kakashi dragged him deeper into the forest, and the view of Konoha was snuffed out by the darkness.

**END OF CHAPTER 3**


	4. Ghost Stories

**Special Thanks:** Goes to **unjaundiced** for pointing out the misspelling of ninjutsu, and of the greyhound 'Uuhei's correct name. And to **ravarath** for suggesting the more correct medical term 'anticoagulant.' And thank you every one for the reviews and comments!

CHAPTER 4: Ghost Stories

"Kakashi, wait! I have to stop!" Iruka paused to lean against the trunk of a huge tree before he could lose his hold on his ANBU transformation disguise. Sweat beaded in his scalp and dribbled in long lines under the hot mask. The Chûnin was more than a little surprised that he had been able to travel for more than half an hour nonstop in their flight through the dense forest, but now he felt that he was nearly at his limit.

The ANBU disguised Jônin appeared suddenly before Iruka. "We shouldn't stop for very long. I can carry you on my back if you 're having trouble."

"No, I should be fine." Iruka straightened himself, determined not to show any more weakness. Before Kakashi could make another comment he hopped towards the next tree. He felt the chakra control in his legs falter the moment he landed on the wide branch, "Shit!" he cursed as he barely regained his balance before slipping off.

Kakashi was instantly behind the Chûnin. His grip on Iruka's shoulder was tight and the tone of his voice brooked no argument. "We can't afford you making any more visible tracks in your condition." Before his companion could properly voice any protests, Kakashi grabbed Iruka and flung him over his shoulders as if he were carrying the carcass of a large game animal.

"Put me down!" Iruka hissed angrily, doing his best to restrain himself from shouting. The Copy-nin's grasp on his right arm and thigh was firm and unmoving. "I can run by myself, damn it!"

"Are you always this noisy?" Kakashi's voice almost sounded amused as he leaped down towards the earth. He landed softly onto a dew laden glade as if the added weight of another fully grown man was of little consequence. "We don't have much farther to go, so you can deal with this indignity. Your injury is slowing us down enough as it is."

Iruka seethed at the comment, but couldn't deny the Jônin's logic. With a puff of smoke the ANBU disguise disappeared to leave the Chûnin in his original form as the last dregs of his chakra reserves drained away. "I could have taken more pills" he muttered.

"Taking any more of those energy drugs would just hurt you in the long run." Kakashi replied as he ran through the tall grass before leaping up back into the trees. "Take my advice from personal experience."

"Kakashi-san!" Pakkun appeared suddenly before the pair. The Jônin had to reinforce the chakra in his feet to prevent himself and his added weight from crashing into the nin-dog on the broad tree limb. "We are almost at our destination. Wait here while I go sniff it out."

"Sure thing." Kakashi complied as he gently slid Iruka down from his shoulders. The little nin-dog turned and disappeared into the forest. "How are you feeling?" he asked his companion.

"I think I'm alright'." Iruka had to resist slumping against the tree. "Just tired."

"You did travel a lot longer than most people would have in your condition." The Jônin studied the tracks they had made and debated on booby-trapping a few fire tags, but decided against it in favor of leaving less of a trail to follow.

Iruka couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself, despite Kakashi carrying him in the last few minutes. "Yeah, considering I've practically had all of my blood replaced" the Chûnin huffed as he checked the shuriken in his thigh holster.

"You can rest once we reach the cart." Kakashi bent down to smooth the few footprints that dimpled the moss covered tree branch. "When we get there, I want you to hide in the back while I drive. We will continue into the River Country and camp out in the woods until I find a lead to this 'Hashibara Clan' that this assassin spoke of. Hopefully it won't take more than a few months at the most."

Iruka did not like the sound of that, but found little choice in the matter.

Pakkun emerged from a cluster of leaves besides Iruka's left foot. The nin-dog wrinkled its nose as he bounded towards Kakashi. "All clear," the pug reported. "There's no sign of anyone poking around in a ten kilometer radius, besides that Genma fellow who left the supplies."

"Thank you, Pakkun." Kakashi saluted the nin-dog. "I will call you later if we need you again." The pug disappeared in a puff of smoke at the Copy-nin's dismissal. "Let's go, Iruka-Sensei."

"Please, just Iruka." The Chûnin readied himself to follow Kakashi. "I get that title enough from the students I teach."

"Alright then." Kakashi shrugged and gestured with a nod towards their destination. "Shall we, Iruka?"

Iruka nodded grimly and leaped to follow the Copy-nin.

It was nearly dawn by the time they reached the supply cart. It was a worn down humble little thing, and nearly twice Iruka's age. The cart and all its gears were sturdily made but possessed no canopy or cover, and its once brilliant blue paint was faded and badly peeling. The mule that drove the cart did not look any better. It was an animal nearly past its prime and judging by how it regarded the two men, seemed to have a temper to boot. Iruka approved at how inconsequential both the animal and cart appeared. They were both a perfect means to arouse less suspicion of two refugee shinobi in flight.

"Ah, this will do very well." Kakashi mused as he approached the old mule and patted its thick neck. The mule snorted and tried to bite the Copy-nin's hand. "Hop on in. There's plenty of blankets for you to sleep under."

The truth was, Iruka was exhausted. He gingerly climbed into the cart and pulled a thick blanket over himself. He was barely able to fit into the wagon bed among all the supplies and trade goods that the Jônin would need while performing his alias as a traveling merchant.

Kakashi nodded as Iruka hid himself. "Stay out of sight until I say otherwise." He made a series of quick hand symbols and transformed into the form of a man in his late fifties. The old man was dressed in fine but worn blue and green traveling clothes; a black eye patch hid the sensitive Sharingan from view but allowed for immediate access. Kakashi had made sure that his disguise was a rather insubstantial one that was easy to dismiss on the road, like the mule and the cart. The aging merchant had a rotund belly and a short graying beard that framed a face that seemed to smile easily. The guise was an especially good one for information gathering in seedy roadside inns and villages.

The Copy-nin leaped into the drivers' seat with an agility that did not fit the old merchant persona. Already he could hear the slow rhythmic breathing of his companion sleeping in the uncovered cart, the sounds muffled under several layers of thick blankets. With a smile of grim satisfaction, Kakashi flicked the reins to urge the cart into motion.

'_I am going to go mad.'_ Iruka thought as tried vainly to block the horrid noise from reaching his ears. No matter what he did, the sounds of off-key singing still managed to invade his gauze-plugged ears.

Nearly two weeks had passed since the two Konoha shinobi had successfully fled the Fire Country. Iruka had spent the majority his days trapped out of sight in the back of the cart while under a pile of hot itchy blankets. At first he had been able to sleep the hours away, but doing so was proving difficult the further they traveled into the westernmost part River Country. The sounds of passing travelers and bustling villages became fewer and farther in-between as they rode into more isolated territories. The roads were less maintained and eluded the Chûnin his sleep as he was constantly jostled about, which also made his still-healing wound throb with pain.

It didn't help matters either that Kakashi (still disguised as the traveling merchant) had taken up to singing in a nasally 'old man' voice to pass the time. Even worse, the stupid mule would join in occasionally by braying along.

"Ooooh~! There was a laa~dy I know,

"Who had pretty lo~ong legs and a mighty fine pair of ba~ags!

"That were always in your fa~ace! But, Ooooh~!

"When she fluttered her ee~eyes you can never kiss her goo~odbye!

"Because when she wiggled her hi~ips, you just had to kiss her li~ips!

"That's because, boy! Does one have to aa~ask,

"When she has such a nice big Aaaa~ass!"

The mule paused in its tracks to let out an uproarious bray that echoed down the road.

'_Utterly, utterly mad!'_ Iruka gritted his teeth in resolve and poked his head out from under the blankets. "Hey! What's the point of me hiding in this stinking cart if you and that stupid animal can't shut the hell up!"

"It's very rare for me to be able to sing as I travel." Kakashi replied. He turned his head to look at the Chûnin, the one visible eye had retained its familiar half-lidded appearance. "Besides, the less of a proper shinobi I act, the less likely that the enemy's attention will turn upon us." The eye turned up in glee. "Besides, I can't sing such fun songs at the top of my lungs in the middle of Konoha!"

'_If he weren't such an exceptional shinobi, I would have been able to kill both him and that stupid mule already!'_ Iruka shot once last glare at the Copy-nin, then threw the blankets back over his head.

"One must enjoy the little things in life, Sensei." Kakashi flicked the reins to goad the old mule back into a brisk walk.

"I told you not to call me that!" Iruka grumped, his voice muffled by the thick layers of fabric. "And stop singing those lewd songs!"

"Quiet now, someone might be coming." Kakashi lied with an obvious smile in his tone. The Chûnin had looked quite endearing with his hair tie loose and hair all askew from hiding. _'He really should try to relax and let his hair down more.' _The Jônin thought with a private smile as he steered around a particularly deep pothole in the neglected road. _'But then again, he's kinda cute when he's mad!'_

The two shinobi had reached the outskirts of an impoverished village named Gizan just as twilight was settled across the land. As part of his now well practiced routine of intelligence gathering, Kakashi had deposited Iruka at a distance in a remote location and had gone ahead with the cart to stay a night or two at the local Inn. He had little trouble in playing the part of traveling merchant 'Nakayama Takahiro,' who was a character prone to drink and the occasional hand at dice—and also an exceptionally good listener and manipulator of conversations. Towards the late hours Kakashi would rent a private room for his alias then transform some mundane object into the sleeping form of the old merchant. After doing so, he would slip outside in his original body to guard Iruka at the campsite, and then return to the Inn in the morning to make his alias's appearance and collect his things. Iruka would be back safe in his hiding spot in the cart by dawn's first light.

Kakashi had been busy at the Inn for nearly two days. The Jônin had yet to say what leads he was obtaining, and Iruka was more than eager to hear what those could be.

The Chûnin leaned a bit closer to the small fire to better warm his hands. Summer was waning and the nights were starting to get chilly. He wondered if the changing of the autumn leaves in the River Country would be as vibrant as they were in his native Fire Country. The River Country was far more rugged and mountainous than Iruka was familiar with, but he could not help but marvel at its beauty. Misty valleys, dense forests, high snow-capped mountain peaks, and of course, the many rivers and streams that contributed to country's namesake. Iruka would have been enjoying himself and his surroundings far more if he hadn't felt so isolated.

It almost felt like a lifetime ago when his daily life had been filled with the noise of children and the bustle of daily life in the Hidden Village of Leaf. Now, the Chûnin was virtually cut off from the rest of the world with only Kakashi, his nin-dogs, and the ill tempered mule as his constant companions. Iruka only occasionally saw the Jônin 's nin-dogs, which kept guard kilometers away, but within barking range. _'I've forgotten how sound carries so far in the wilderness,'_ Iruka thought as an owl hooted softly in the gently swaying forest. A few crickets and frogs called by some water source in the distance. It was a serene place despite the isolation, far removed from the distraction of paperwork and hyperactive children. _'I really have been stuck inside the village walls for too long.'_

Iruka's stomach rumbled loudly. He briefly glanced at the rations pack and sighed _'I wish there was something else to eat. My stomach is going to rot if I have to keep eating those sawdust bricks.'_ With the exception of the meals Kakashi occasionally ate at the Inns, both men had practically lived off of ration bars and foraged food since they had began to travel. Once, Iruka had called the ration bars decent, but now he would rather chuck them into the nearest river. The one time Iruka had taken it upon himself to hunt without his bodyguard's foreknowledge while away had nearly left the Chûnin trussed up for the night. Kakashi may appear to be a laid back Jônin, but now Iruka knew better and how seriously his companion took his duty.

'_He acts as if I am a wet-nosed Genin out on his first mission.'_ Iruka stretched out his arms with a sigh as he relished the freedom of unrestricted movement. It was only when they stopped at night that he was finally able to freely roam without the Jônin 's single eye constantly scrutinizing his every move. His stomach rumbled again and Iruka had to restrain a groan of disgust as he bent down to root through his pack for a stale rations bar.

"Yo." Kakashi's lean figure materialized into the dim firelight.

Iruka had steeled himself long ago from the Copy-nin's unannounced materializations. "Any luck?" he turned to ask.

"Yes and no." Kakashi tossed a dead rabbit at Iruka's feet. "I caught this on the way here; I'd figured that you're getting tired of pack rations."

The Chûnin smiled gratefully as he picked up the Jônin's kill. He was familiar enough with his companion by now to know better than to press with questions. "Too bad we don't have any rice to go with this."

"I can always summon a ramen stand for you instead." Kakashi teased as he seated himself besides the fire to prepare a spit as Iruka dressed the rabbit.

"There is no such jutsu for that" Iruka idly countered as he pulled out a skinning knife. The casual banter they exchanged with each other had become almost a routine. He watched Kakashi from the corner of his eye; it was actually a relief to see the Copy-nin in his natural form. During his daily travels with the Jônin in disguise, Iruka sometimes felt that he was traveling with a stranger and not the infamous Copy-nin. At night when Kakashi visited without the transformation, his familiar appearance was reassuring in a way that Iruka found hard to describe.

The two men exchanged no further words until the rabbit was properly spitted and cooking. Iruka was about to test the bubbling meat when Kakashi suddenly spoke. "There's a legend in these parts about a haunted shinobi clan house."

Iruka only showed his disappointment at the news in a brief pause, and then probed at the cooking meat with the skinning knife. "Well, a camp fire is a good place for ghost stories."

"Apparently it happened nearly sixty years ago. Everyone in the clan house went mad one night and turned on each other. The following morning, all that villagers found were piles of corpses and the floors soaked in blood. No one was spared; they were all slaughtered down to the last infant sleeping in the cradle."

Iruka couldn't help but feel a chill at that statement. Mass murders of shinobi or civilian clans were not unheard of, but infants? "It sounds suspicious, but how do we know if such an old story is related to my grandfather Hashi and the enemy who's out to kill me?"

"Oh?" Kakashi turned his head to flash his companion a quick smile through his mask. "That's because, dear Iruka, I found that the legend is called 'The Hashibara Curse.'"

Iruka nearly jumped up in his excitement. "That must be it! We should go investigate that place at once!"

"I don't think so." Kakashi idly replied as he pulled a joint of dripping meat for himself. "All that I have heard so far is just tavern chatter, and we need to set up a more permanent base for you before I can investigate further."

Iruka's shoulders sagged visibly with disappointment. "You're going to leave me behind?"

It was obvious to Kakashi that his companion itched for action, but he stood his ground. "My mission is to protect you, and with this ninjutsu that the enemy possesses I can't very well lead you into a village full of people. Besides, it is very likely that the enemy will have lookouts around the area, and are just waiting for you to come out of hiding."

"I know." Iruka stared glumly at the roasting meat, his appetite forgotten. The Chûnin was a sociable and busy person by nature, and he wasn't sure how much more boredom and isolation he could take.

"Tomorrow I will leave the Inn, and then we'll make our way southeast to find a more permanent camp. It shouldn't be more than a day's hard run away from Gizan village." Kakashi pulled his mask down far enough for his teeth to tear into the steaming meat. Iruka had only seen the Jônin's full face only occasionally when they ate. It was not exactly an exotic face, but a nice one to look at. He couldn't help but admire how the firelight played over his companion's ghostly white mane and pale skin.

Kakashi's one eye rolled slyly to regard Iruka. "See something you like, Sensei?"

"Ah, I was just thinking," Iruka's face reddened at being caught and looked away. "If this incident really did happen with my family, then this rival clan who could be responsible has a long memory. Whatever happened to warrant such a massacre must have been pretty terrible for the enemy to involve its future generations."

"We don't know that for sure." It was amusing in a way, how the Chûnin-sensei could be so easily flustered. The pale flesh of his facial scar contrasted nicely when he blushed. "Sixty years is not exactly a long time for particularly stubborn shinobi warriors. Whatever grudge is being held against you may have originated from the First Shinobi World War, a lot of atrocities were committed in those dark days, as in any war. The First Shinobi War was especially bloody and brutal."

"I know that." Iruka yanked a haunch from the cooked rabbit for himself. "I am a teacher and a shinobi after all."

"Hmm, true. But you did not fight like I had during the Third Shinobi War." Kakashi wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. "I did my fair share of killing during that time, and plenty more since. I can name at least twenty different rival clans who would be more than happy to see my head cut off and rotting on a pike in their front yard."

"Gods, Kakashi!" Iruka paused in mid-bite to give his companion a hard look. "Don't say such things!"

"I'm just giving you an idea of what you're facing, and a reason to be cautious." Kakashi shrugged. "Some clans hold a deeper grudge than others, and all that matters to them is to see all descendents of their enemy's dead and forgotten. A few would even go so far as to sell their souls in order to see that through."

Iruka was far more unnerved by that statement then he would have liked to admit. He had never thought in all of his life while working primarily with children and paperwork that he would obtain such a potentially vengeful enemy. He hid his unease from Kakashi by concentrating on his food, which had gone cold and flavorless in his dry mouth.

That night Iruka slept restlessly. He dreamed of children screaming in terror as their parents mercilessly slaughtered them, and of blood dripping slowly from deathbed cradles.

He jolted awake in a cold sweat the following morning, and despite his earlier excitement of discovering a lead to his predicament, Iruka found himself desperately hoping that the local legend of the 'Hashibara Curse' was not in any way related to himself. He had a very bad feeling about it, and his only comfort that morning was the fact that Kakashi had already left for the Inn before he could witness Iruka's unease.

A day and a half later, Kakashi brought Iruka to his new semi-permanent home.

"This is _it?"_ Iruka looked around the cave with blatant distaste. It was not a very large cave, but it was nestled in a hidden location near the tree line of a long dead volcano, which overlooked the village of Gizan. The cave could have been a rather cozy one, if it weren't for all the dripping algae and thousands of slimy crawly things that littered the smooth stone floor and walls. "_This_ is where you want me to stay, for a couple of _weeks?"_ If Kakashi had ever attended the Chûnin's lectures, he would have recognized that particular tone of voice as one that was about to explode. Unfortunately for Kakashi, he was far too old to attend any of Iruka's classes, and was therefore doomed.

"Oh I don't know, maybe a little paint and a couple of throw pillows here and there would brighten the place up nicely." Kakashi pointed up the cave ceiling to a slime trail following a huge bloated slug. "And look, you already have plenty of pets to keep you company!"

As if in answer to the Jônin's statement, the said slug fell off the rock face and landed with a moist splat before the two shinobi's feet.

Iruka's shoulders trembled with the effort to contain his infamous temper. The only thing that saved the Jônin from a proper verbal thrashing was the fact that yelling would echo throughout the entire river valley. Instead, he ground his teeth together and counted up to fifty before replying "I. Am. Not. Staying. Here!" Each word was emphasized with a sporadic eye twitch.

Kakashi looked Iruka up and down coolly. "You forget yourself, Sensei. I am your superior officer and bodyguard. This location is the best Pakkun and I could find with the most advantageous defense positions, for both yourself and the nin-dogs." His half-lidded gaze scanned the room. "Besides, you did say that you wanted to be kept busy during the day. Making this place livable and slug-free should occupy your time nicely."

Another slug fell from the wall. It landed on Iruka's shoulder with an audible squelch and splattered slime all over the left side of the Chûnin's face and neck.

Kakashi's eye closed in self-satisfaction. "See? You're already getting started! If you light a fire and some torches, those slugs and algae should dry up and fall off those walls without any trouble."

"Out! Get out _now!"_ Iruka stiffly strode over to the Copy-nin and forcefully pushed him towards the cave exit. "Before I _really_ kill you!"

"Oh? Was it something I said?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the slug that fell on Iruka was chucked at the Copy-nin's face. Kakashi briefly reappeared behind the Chûnin long enough to wipe a sticky glob of slime from his companion's Hitai-ate. "I will be back later tonight. Don't have too much fun without me, Sensei." The Jônin disappeared for the final time before Iruka's punch could connect to his face.

The Chûnin seethed for a few moments at the empty spot before turning back to the slimy cave. He rolled his sleeves up in determination as he walked, almost wishing that the assassin had succeeded in murdering him those few weeks earlier, but for now he would have just settled for a door to slam into Kakashi's smirking face.

END OF CHAPTER 4


	5. Cabin Fever

**Chapter 5: Cabin Fever**

Okuda Matsuri was a regular at the rundown 'Green Dragon Inn,' and had been for the last fifty years of his life. The old man visited the bar almost every day after a hard day's work of maintaining one of the few rice mills that were still operable in the village. Hard times had fallen on the village of Gizan, but that all had started many years ago after the 'incident' that few were still bold enough to openly talk about. Matsuri leaned heavily on his cane as he limped towards his regular table in the back-and stopped cold in his tracks.

Someone had _dared_ to take his table! Scowling darkly, the old miller made his way to the back of the room and thumped his cane against a table leg to get the intruder's attention, who was boldly reading one of those _Icha Icha_ novels in public. "Oi! This table's taken, now get outta my chair!"

The stranger poked his head out from the book. Matsuri was momentarily startled by the black eyepatch the aged stranger wore over his right eye. "Oh, my most sincere apologies!" The intruder bowed his head respectfully and moved to stand. "Please, I can sit somewhere else."

Now _that_ did it. Matsuri was not mean spirited at heart, and he immediately regretted his childish behavior. "No, its fine" he mumbled, and was about to turn to find a different table when the stranger spoke again.

"Why don't you pull up a chair and I'll share my sake in exchange for some good conversation." The stranger gave a crooked grin. "Good company is hard to find for a peddler like me these days!"

That got Matsuri's attention. His mill was in desperate need of spare parts, and he was always on the lookout for small trinkets for his grandchildren. The rice miller nodded and pulled up a chair. "The name's Okuda Matsuri."

"Nakayama Takahiro." Kakashi replied as he handed Matsuri a cup and the sake bottle.

* * *

><p>Kakashi had worked hard to establish a 'drinking buddy' relationship with some of the locals, but instinctively knew that the 'Hashibara Curse' was too sensitive a subject to suddenly delve into. He had to gently ease his way into his contact's confidence before prying into Gizan's closet to dig out the skeletons. The Jounin gathered that whatever had happened to the Hashibara clan had directly resulted in the eventual impoverished state of the village. Most likely, the Hashibara clan was once a family of great importance that contributed greatly to the economic stability of the Gizan village. The clan's slaughter was a blow that its citizens apparently never fully recovered from.<p>

From what Kakashi could see in the distance, the ruined Hashibara clan house stood alone and abandoned at the northernmost point in Gizan. Nature and the elements had taken control of the old house-which was more accurately a fortified mansion. The once elegant courtyard was overrun with weeds and small sapling trees, and rotted beams collapsed to create gaping holes in the roofs. _'What I wouldn't give to take a peek inside.'_ The Jounin thought as he peered through the night with his Sharingan from the top of a building. He did not dare to even attempt to get closer than fifty meters from the mansion; his senses prickled with warning that unseen eyes were watching the abandoned estate and an unmistakable malignant aura seemed to be radiating from the house itself. No, he would rather infiltrate the villagers for information than expose himself and his charge's presence in the area.

Kakashi could not fully conclude that this 'Hashibara Curse' was what he had been looking for without solid proof, but he felt that he should now assume so even if he could not find evidence that Iruka's grandfather Torichi once lived here. He still needed to know the particulars of the clan's extermination in order to get a better idea of the enemy they were facing, and if they acted as a single shinobi like Uchiha Itachi did, or as a bigger unit.

'_Every jutsu has a weakness.'_ Kakashi's brown and red eyes scanned the position of the crescent moon_. 'It is a long range attack, so it is likely that the shinobi behind it is fairly weak in close combat, which is an advantage for me now that I can neutralize the effects of the jutsu… but it still does not explain why they did not attempt to use it on Iruka.'_ The Copy-nin shook his head at the mystery. _'There must be a flaw that I can exploit, but it is too soon for me to confront the enemy.' _With a resigned sigh, Kakashi turned to head back to the cave.

* * *

><p>It had taken the entire day and most of the evening for Iruka to make the small cave somewhat dry and slug-free. Since the cave was set partially into a mountain, it was already elevated and took the Chuunin little time to create a natural looking drainage to spill out the excess water that had collected on the floor. Rainwater had backed into the cave due to a small rockslide some months ago and provided an ample environment for algae to flourish, which then in turn attracted the slugs and predatory frogs. Kakashi's suggestion of torching the slugs and algae proved to be a good one, except for the horrid smell it made. Fortunately, the smell of fire was enough to chase the frogs out. The exasperated Iruka had decided to sleep outside that night while the stink aired out enough to not make him gag.<p>

It was an exhausted and bone-weary Chuunin that waited for Kakashi that night. More than once Iruka had to pause in his work to allow himself to rest. The stab would Shizu had inflicted weeks ago still throbbed occasionally with needle-like pain, as if the thin knife was still stuck in his side. Kakashi had relayed through Tsunade that she had been unable to properly heal Iruka with her medical ninjutsu due to the enemy's interference of trying to possess her, and because of its sensitive location the injury would give phantom pains for a while as it naturally healed.

'_What a bother.'_ Iruka thought as he carefully started the campfire with an improvised torch made from a tied bundle of twigs coated with tree sap. He leaned back on his knees as the fire slowly licked at the bundles of dry wood then added the torch to the pit. He doubted that Kakashi would object to him setting a few well concealed snares around the cave, he had not been able to properly enjoy his meal of rabbit the night before and did not relish living off of dried pack rations while he was alone in the bountiful forest.

As if by magic, a heavy box of bento plopped into his lap. Iruka blinked in surprised then twisted around to see Kakashi holding out a pair of chopsticks. "I thought you have been missing civilized food" the Jounin said with a smile.

At that moment, Iruka could have wept with joy. The shallow box trembled in his hands as he accepted the chopsticks. "By the Gods…rice!" Iruka's eyes gleamed as he uncovered the lid to reveal the bounty of an unremarkable bento meal. It was just a simple fare of rice, steamed vegetables and smoked trout, and little old at that. But to the Chuunin it looked like a feast fit for a king.

"It looks like you're finally enjoying the little things in life." Kakashi mused as his companion savored the day-old bento with obvious delight.

"I'd never thought that I would miss rice so much!" Iruka exclaimed as he picked at a generous helping of the said food and popped it into his mouth. "Any luck today?" he asked around a mouthful of rice.

"Hmm? I met a busty young lady today who took one look at me and got down on her knees and proposed on the spot. I think that is luck."

"Liar." Iruka barely seemed bothered by the obvious evasion as he tackled the smoked trout.

"I'm sorry that the bento so old, I had to buy it during the day." The Jounin seated himself next to the campfire and watched the flames lick at the dry wood while his companion ate. Kakashi was hesitant to reveal too much of his investigation to Iruka just yet, he was precautious of the Chuunin getting too curious and searching the village on his own. Kakashi himself would have done so under the similar circumstances, as would their mutual student Naruto. He probably would have allowed the Chuunin to tag along at night, but he now considered Gizan enemy territory since he had a good look at the decrepit Hashibara Estate and sensed the enemy's presence lurking about the premises.

"The cave looks very cozy." Kakashi said after turning to sniff in the direction of the hidey-hole. "It smells a bit stinky."

"Fried slugs and cave slime have that effect." Iruka sighed in contentment as his full belly filled. "That's why we're sleeping outside tonight."

Kakashi shook his head. "I have to stay at the Inn tonight, I have a meeting with a rice miller who wants to purchase some gears in the early morning. I have the feeling that he's the sort that would invite me to stay the night in his home if he takes a liking to me. So I may be gone for a few days."

"Oh." Iruka averted his gaze from his companion to look at the glowing embers in the fire pit, and stuck the last morsel of the bento meal into his mouth.

Sensing his mood, Kakashi stood up to squat down besides the Chuunin. "I'm sure you can handle a few evenings without my charming company" he teased.

Iruka rolled his eyes at that. Kakashi's musky scent mingled with the campfire was rather nice, despite the flawed personality that went with it. Iruka was suddenly made uncomfortably aware of his own body odor; he had not been able to do more than a few discreet quick towel scrubs in the last few weeks.

As if reading his thoughts, Kakashi leaned over to sniff his companion. "You smell like bad escargot."

"No thanks to you." The Chuunin replied dryly before he set the empty bento box aside and tossed the used chopsticks into the fire. "I need a bath to get all this slime from my hair." Iruka paused long enough to give the Jounin a hard look. "And I don't need a babysitter to watch me bathe" he said flatly.

"Bodyguard." Kakashi corrected. "And no, you don't. The stream is close enough to the cave." He added a few twigs to the fire. "Besides," his single eye turned into an unmistakable leer. "It rather sounds like a plotline in one of my _Icha Icha_ books."

"I wouldn't know" Iruka snorted. "I've never read one."

"Never?" Kakashi stared in wide eyed disbelief at his companion. _"Seriously?"_

"No!" Iruka knew that his face was turning red under Kakashi's stare. "I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those things!"

"They are the epitome of modern literature, unbound by the constraints of our so-called 'moral' society." The Jounin shook his head in bemusement as he poked the embers with a stick. "I will never understand how our culture approves of teaching children the ways of shinobi warfare, but looks down upon the more harmless and enjoyable art of sex."

Kakashi had a valid point, but Iruka wasn't about to readily agree with him. He had yet to forgive the Copy-nin for abandoning him earlier to clean up that disgusting cave. How could Tsunade stand to make a pact with slugs, let alone a giant one?

"I've got it!" Kakashi leaped up and spun around to face the Chuunin. "The answer to your boredom!" The Jounin pulled his mask down to bite down on a thumb as his other hand unfurled a small scroll that had been stuffed in a back pocket. He muttered a few incoherent words as he smeared a long stripe of blood across the scroll before disappearing in a burst of smoke.

'_He's summoning?'_ Iruka gasped as the smoke cleared to reveal the Copy-nin standing proudly before a huge orange chest bearing a very familiar symbol of a circle with a diagonal line in the middle. "I don't do this for just anyone. You are very lucky man, Iruka-Sensei!"

Not fully trusting the Copy-nin, Iruka cautiously cracked open the lid and peered inside. "What the-!" He threw open the lid to reveal a hoard of brightly bound paperback novels neatly stacked in long rows with the printed spines in view. "You're giving me _porn_ to read!"

"My emergency on-the-road collection." Kakashi looked extremely pleased with himself. "I recently put it together for long missions such as this; it is one of my most treasured possessions!"

Iruka gaped at the rows of novels, some were of the _Icha Icha_ series, but most were by different publishers and authors. "Don't you have a dictionary or something instead?" he asked weakly.

"Pishaw," Kakashi scoffed. "Dictionaries are overrated unless you are trying to look up something rude." He leaned over to press a small button under the lid. The stack of books momentarily shuddered then slid to the left as if on a conveyer belt to reveal a new collection of novels. Kakashi released the button with a satisfied grin that lit up his exposed face. "This jutsu connects to a parallel dimension" he explained. "It can hold the entirety of my collection in a minimal amount of physical space."

Iruka was dumbstruck. "How did-?"

"How did I get so many?" Kakashi patted the chest lovingly. "I did a lot of A and S rank missions over the years, and good pay is one of the perks of being a shinobi in high demand. I am able to afford to be a connoisseur of sorts!"

'_He used such a powerful jutsu to make something like this for his PORN?'_ Iruka wasn't sure if he should be immensely impressed by Kakashi's feat, or extremely mortified by it.

The Jounin raised a hand to shield his eyes from the firelight as he scanned the night sky. A frown tugged on his lips. "I should be going soon. There are a few places I want to scout before dawn breaks." Kakashi smiled at Iruka, who felt his heart skip at beat at how young and handsome the man suddenly looked. The magic of the smile disappeared when it turned lecherous, and then the Jounin echoed his own words from earlier that day. "And don't have _too_ much fun without me, Sensei!" As expected, the Copy-nin disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving the Chuunin alone in the firelight with a ridiculous amount of smut to drag into the cave.

'_I think I will kill him.'_ Iruka decided with a nod as he grabbed a handle on the orange chest. _'But with slugs, he deserves a death by slugs.'_

* * *

><p>"I am impressed, Takahiro-san!" Okuda Matsuri exclaimed as the intricate mechanics of the mill groaned back into life. "A little oil and she will be just fine!" the old man smiled and clicked his tongue in approval.<p>

"I have a few more gears stashed in my cart if you need them." Takahiro Nakayama/Kakashi replied while he grinned at the whirling gears and spinning sprockets that were nestled inside the cabin of the old water mill. "One cannot afford to be too laid back on your own livelihood."

Matsuri let out a sharp bark of laughter. "You are a shrewd man, Takahiro-san, but a correct one at that." He suddenly grew solemn and scowled. "My family can no longer afford any more delays. We are behind enough as it is with our taxes."

They were interrupted by small boy who cracked open the door. "Grandpa?" Sunlight streamed into the mill as the boy timidly walked into the room. He couldn't have been more than six years old. "That lady is here again."

"Speak of the devil." Matsuri grumbled. "Thank you Shinjiro, please wait in the house while I talk to her." The old miller turned to face his companion. "I apologize for the interruption Takahiro-san. I have some rather unpleasant business to attend. Would you mind waiting inside?"

"I would prefer to be outside." Takahiro/Kakashi replied, his one unpatched eye glittered in the bright afternoon sunlight. "You might need another person to stand behind you."

"As I said, you are a shrewd man." Matsuri said begrudgingly, but his mouth held a grim smile at the offer.

Outside, a tall middle aged woman waited with arms crossed before the mill. She stood out from the Gizan villagers by being dressed in a tight fitting black uniform that revealed well toned muscles. Two olive colored scarves bound long coppery dreadlocks from her face, and a similarly colored wrap was tied around her waist, a red kanji symbol reading either 'Malice' or 'Grudge' was stamped on the later. She scowled at the two men exiting the building, Kakashi could tell by both her aura and how she stood confidently that she was a kunoichi of some skill, though she wore neither Hitai-ate nor obvious weapons.

"You are late with your payment" she stated bluntly. Her voice had a low gravelly tone of that of a heavy smoker, though Kakashi could not smell any tobacco on her person.

"Apologies, Lady Akiyuki." Matsuri bobbed his head in a bow. "My mill has been out of commission for the last few weeks, I only now have been able to fix it thanks to Nakayama-san here." Takahiro/Kakashi nodded his head in acknowledgement to the claim.

"Hn." Akiyuki shot a brief dismissive glance at Kakashi. "This delay will require an additional percentage on top of what you owe."

"Yes, yes" Matsuri nodded. "Fifteen percent on top of the usual fee, it will be ready by next week."

"I am glad we are able to reach an understanding on this matter." Akiyuki smiled unpleasantly. "Accidents are very prone to happen in these old rice mills, as you know."

Matsuri's lame leg trembled slightly as he leaned heavily on his cane to bow. "It will be done."

The dreadlocked woman snorted derisively and turned to leave.

"Curse that woman and the rest of her like!" Matsuri snarled under his breath once Akiyuki was a tiny speck far down the road. "They rob us blind with threats and claim that it is for protection fees. Protection? Feh!" He spat vehemently in the woman's direction. "Kanzaka and his gang are nothing more than common thugs. Things would have been very different if Hashibara Yasunori-sama were alive when those criminals came into town."

"Hmm? Who was this Yasunori?" Kakashi idly asked.

Matsuri paled visibly at his slip. "No one" the old man muttered as he lowered his head to stare solemnly at the ground. "A family friend. Dead and buried long ago."

'_Shit. And I was so close too._' Kakashi thought with frustration. _'At least now I have a solid name, what little good it does me. Even so, this 'Kanzaka' fellow might be of some interest.' _The Jounin was hardly surprised that an impoverished and isolated community like Gizan was being extorted by a band of renegade shinobi, especially since the village lacked any decent protection that the Hashibara clan once offered. He took charge of the awkward silence by stretching his arms and yawning loudly. "I could go for a drink at this hour. How about 'The Green Dragon?'"

"Their prices are ludicrous, even for a backwater town such as this." Matsuri watched his companion out of the corner of one eye. "I would be honored if you stayed with my family tonight, Takahiro-san. Not many around here would freely offer back-up in the face of a member of the Kanzaka gang."

Kakashi/Takahiro made a polite smile and bowed before the old Miller at the offer. "Please, you honor me Matsuri-san." _'Perhaps I will get my answers after all.'_

* * *

><p>To Iruka's chagrin, he found that he was starting to actually <em>enjoy<em> reading Kakashi's dirty books-though he would drop dead before he admitted as much to the Copy-nin.

He was nestled quite comfortably on a bedroll in the dry tolerably-smelling cave with a small fire for both warmth and illumination against the chill evening. A small pile of late wild strawberries he had foraged earlier were neatly stacked on a clean broad leaf. His eyes widened with anticipation as he flipped to the last page of _The Adventures of Ayumi the Accountant Vol.3: Ledgers of Love._

_Ayumi watched with full lips quivering as Benito paused before the doorway; his radiant black eyes seemed to bore through her soul. "Come with me Ayumi." Benito held out a hand to beckon her. "With my superior Bookkeeping talents and your Super Accounting skills, we can rule the District of World of Finances together!"_

"Don't do it" Iruka mumbled before he popped a strawberry into his mouth.

_Ayumi the Accountant sighed with a great heave of her enormous bosom, a few buttons on her tight red blouse popped out to reveal the swollen globes of her ripe body. "I can't Benito-kun! For you see…" Her sparkling blue eyes turned hard behind her glasses as she stared down at the devilishly handsome man. "I am in love with another!"_

"No way!" Iruka gasped. It all made sense now, but who could her new lover be?

"_My true love waits for me in the Niishi Accounting Firm!" Ayumi declared. "His passion to calculate numbers is as great as the cup size of my breasts! You cannot have me Benito-kun, for I know now that you are no good for me!"_

'_Good girl!'_ Iruka smirked.

"_Curses!" Benito screamed. "You will rue this day, Ayumi the Accountant! Someday I will possess your Super Accounting skills for my diabolical plans!"_

_Ayumi leaped upon the windowsill and shot her former lover a scathing parting glance. "Farewell Benito-kun, and may you rot in hell!" Her black mini skirt fluttered in the wind as Ayumi shot off into the night. A new adventure of accounting was sure to await her in the new firm, as well as the tender embrace of Akira, who was sure to make mad love to her the moment she arrived at the office the following day. _

_TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME 4: A CALCULATING AFFAIR_

Iruka snapped the book shut with satisfaction. "Ha! I knew that it had to be Akira!" He stood up to stretch. Beside the bedroll were several tall stacks of books he had finished reading. Being both a teacher and a Konoha office worker had honed Iruka's speed reading skills over the years, which now came in handy since most of the books were not at a very difficult reading level. Though, he had to admit that some of the _Icha Icha_ series were worth a reread. _'Who would have thought that some of those books would actually be halfway decent? I can now understand Jiraiya-san's fan base behind them.' _He was quite surprised to have discovered that many of the novels had enough interesting plotlines and characters to hold his attention even if a great deal of the grammar left much to be desired. Iruka was sincerely grateful now for Kakashi lending him the collection; the Chuunin probably would have otherwise had gone mad from the two days of isolation he had to endure in the small cave.

'_I think I am done with 'Ayumi the Accountant' for now.'_ Iruka yawned as he pushed the button inside the orange chest. _'Let's see what else Kakashi has to offer.' _The rows of books filed past before Iruka's eyes at a slow enough pace for him to browse through. At random he pulled a sky blue book and read the summary on the back.

_The Trial__s __of the Shonibi Lover__: Follow the harrowing adventures of the beautiful and buxom Hinako as she escapes her village with only her life and the handsome but lecherous Moriyama to protect her. Together they must travel the lands while fighting off hoards of shinobi assassins. As the days start to grow cold, their nights become heated with the throes of their passions. WARNING: For mature readers only._

Iruka's brown eyes narrowed. _'This sounds FAR too familiar!' _He opened the book to skim through the pages. The plot was what Iruka would have expected, sex, sex and more sex, and very little constructive storyline. The bulk of the story centered on the sexy Hinako being kept secluded in a cave while her hero defended the sanctuary from would-be-assassins. The heroine eagerly expressed her gratitude to Moriyama every night with a new sexual position as a reward.

The book shook in Iruka's hands and he felt an eye start to twitch. _'Is my predicament a cliché?' _he thought with utter mortification. He was sorely tempted to tear the book in half and throw into the fire before the Jounin rediscovered it and got any ideas to tease him with, but he was sure that Kakashi would at some point find the gap in his collection and demand a replacement. Iruka did not want to risk the humiliation of purchasing that book, or any of those smut novels in a public bookstore. EVER.

Iruka compromised his urge to destroy the book by stashing it under his bedroll. _'They should have written how boring waiting all day in a cave actually is' _he thought with irritation._ 'Then again, I'm in no stupid perverted story.'**_

Determined to rid his mind of _The Trials of the Shinobi Lover_, Iruka browsed through the vast collection to find something explicit enough to wipe his memory of the last five minutes. He paused when he stumbled upon a collection of black bound novels that stood out starkly from the hundreds of bight gaudy covers. _'What are these books? They must be particularly taboo.'_ He pulled one out to inspect the picture, and froze.

On the cover in subdued colors was an image of two attractive scantily dressed men intertwined in a passionate embrace. "What the hell?" He flipped the book over to scan the contents.

_The Dessert Mercen__ary:__ In the distant land of Korin, Prince Sakino has never truly known the extent of his loneliness until the day he hired a young leader of a band of mercenaries to protect his lands. Both Sakino and the mercenary Tobin's friendship quickly develops into a love that the fiery sands of the dessert cannot easily quench. WARNING: Contains homosexual content. For mature readers only._

Iruka could barely believe his eyes. _'Kakashi owns books like THESE?'_ The Copy-nin did say that he was a connoisseur of dirty novels, so perhaps it was just a series to complete his collection. On the other hand, these books went against everything that the Chuunin had perceived of the Copy-nin's sexuality. His mind reeled back at the last conversation they shared and how Kakashi had leered at Iruka at the mention of watching him bathe.

'_Has he been FLIRTING with me?'_ At that thought, Iruka's face grew hot and he felt his heart began to beat faster inside his chest. He had always known that he had no real interest in women, and his past few tentative experiences had always ended in disaster. Iruka hardly dared to hope._ 'But…KAKASHI of all people?_' The idea was utterly laughable; surely the Jounin had no real interest in men, and even less interest in a pencil-pushing Chuunin such as Iruka.

This was uncomfortable territory. Iruka looked down at the book in his hands. The novel did look interesting however, and it intrigued him far more than any of the other trashy books he had read so far. He cracked open the book to start the first page.

"Iruka?"

The Chuunin yelped at the sound of Kakashi's voice outside the cave. In a flash he tucked the book beneath the bedroll alongside _The Trials of the Shinobi Lover. "_Oh! Kakashi-san!" he cried as he hastily stood up to greet the Jounin. "I wasn't expecting you so late."

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked pointedly at the stacks of novels beside the bedroll. "Keeping yourself entertained, I see."

"There's hardly anything else to do around here" the Chuunin grumbled, then noticed the heavy sack Kakashi was holding. "What's that?"

"Dinner," Kakashi rummaged through the bag to pull out a large bottle of sake. "And appetizer to go with it."

Iruka eyed the bottle. "What for?"

"Should there always be a reason to drink?" Kakashi drawled as he produced two cups from his pack. "Let's call it a celebration of your new title 'Scourge of the Slugs.'"

"Heh, just don't tell Tsunade" Iruka grinned as he pulled out the extra bedroll for Kakashi to sit upon while the Jounin set out two bento boxes and the drinks.

They ate their meal in relative silence. Kakashi seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts and only absentmindedly picked at his food. Iruka's mind squirmed with the need to pester the Jounin with questions. He desperately wanted to hear actual news of Gizan for one, and secondly he was unsure of how to broach the subject of why Kakashi owned the gay novel that Iruka was currently hiding under his seat.

The uncomfortable silence elapsed for ten minutes. Now long finished with his meal, Iruka decided to take the initiative. He downed the last of his cup and set it down forcefully on the stone floor. "Well?" he pointedly asked his companion.

"Hm?" Kakashi's one eye blinked to full attention.

"You were gone for two days" the Chuunin drummed his empty lunch box with his fingers. "And appeasing me with stale bento will not satisfy me this time. I have a right to hear what you've found."

"Oh, you catch on quick." Kakashi pushed aside his half-eaten food and refilled both their sake cups. "I have been staying with the miller's family for the last few days. Matsuri-san is a tough nut to crack, but I've gained enough of his trust to learn that the Hashibara clan once had a young son with your grandfather Torichi's name, and that his body and that of many others were never found after the clan's massacre."

Iruka gnawed on the bottom of his lip and slowly turned the sake cup in his hands. "So…this Hashibara clan was really my family?"

"I think so." Kakashi shrugged as he wiped his bare mouth of a few drops of sake. "From what Matsuri-san has let slip, the Hashibara clan was once a powerful shinobi family over sixty years ago that oversaw Gizan and its villagers. The general belief is that they had some internal dispute and killed each other off in a single night, though I have a feeling that Matsuri-san knows more of the story then he lets on. The local gang that now controls Gizan may have been involved since they appeared shortly after the Hashibara clan was eliminated." Kakashi threw back the rest of his alcohol in a single gulp and smacked his lips. "Hm, not bad for a local vintage."

Iruka mulled over the information. He wondered that if his grandfather had managed to escape the killings and travel to Konoha to start a new life, than it was likely that the other survivors of the clan might have done so in different countries as well. But if they had taken new surnames as Grandfather Hashi Torichi did, then it was virtually hopeless to track any of them down for straight answers, especially after so many years had passed.

Kakashi's one half closed eye carefully studied the Chuunin's grim expression. "There's also somebody watching the Hashibara estate. I've tried every night to get inside, but I can sense a malevolent aura from the house."

The glow of the small fire flickered across Iruka's tense features. "The same one that was in Konoha?"

The Jounin nodded. "If it really is this 'Kanzaka gang,' I have already met one person in the group, a woman with dreadlocks named Akiyuki. She is far too young to have been behind the Hashibara attack, but I don't know anything about her boss Kanzaka himself or even if he is still alive. So that is at least two members accounted for. I will try to press Matsuri-san for more information tomorrow so that we will know how many of the Kanzaka gang we are up against."

"We?" Iruka raised an eyebrow skeptically at his companion. "You are actually willing to let me join you now?"

"Even with the danger, you can't stay out of this mission forever. I had to exclude you up until this point in order to keep the innocent from being involved."

"Of course" Iruka nodded, recalling both his incidents with Shizu and the old butcher Aoki-san before leaving Konoha.

"Besides, it's not very healthy for a person such as you to be alone for so long." Kakashi poured more sake into their cups. His teeth flashed into an unexpected grin "as much as I would like to keep you cooped up in a cave all to myself!"

'_There he goes flirting with me again…I think.' _Kakashi's mannerisms were a little hard for the Chuunin to figure out, but then again Kakashi could be getting drunk after he consumed almost half of the huge sake bottle. Suddenly unsure of himself around the Copy-nin, Iruka stood up to get some fresh air outside the cave. As he did so, his left foot became caught under his bedroll and made him stumble clumsily against the cave wall. _'Oh yeah, I drank the other half of the bottle.'_

"Oh? What's this?" Spotting what was hiding under the disturbed bedding, Kakashi snatched the two books Iruka had stashed before the Chuunin could react. His mouth curled into a smirk when he recognized both titles. "My, what interesting reading materials you have stuffed under your pillow."

"It's not what you think!" Iruka stammered, realizing then that he was slurring his words a bit. "I haven't even read those!"

"But you were planning to." Kakashi held up _The Trials of the Shinobi Lover_ to better see it in the firelight. "This is rather inspiring material for our situation, don't you think?"

Iruka wanted to slink away so that he could die peacefully from his embarrassment. He knew full well that guilt was written all over his face (he never really was any good at playing poker.) Iruka pointed to the other book Kakashi held in a desperate attempt change the conversation. "Well? What about that one? Why do you have it?" he demanded.

"_The Dessert Mercenary?_ It's an instant classic. Jiraiya wrote it after all."

The Chuunin could only blink owlishly at that. "Bullshit!"he accused.

"He writes this series under a different pen name of course, but I can recognize his writing style anywhere."

Iruka regarded the book dubiously. There was no way that the boob-obsessed Ero-Sennin could be the author of erotic male-on-male romance stories. It was inconceivable; the Jounin _had_ to be pulling his leg.

"I got more if you'd like" Kakashi scratched his chin in thought. "Let's see...including Jiraiya's books, I own materials by thirty-two different authors with at least three publications or more."

'_He owns THAT many books about men!' _Iruka flushed as he did the calculations. _'That's a lot of books involving penises.'_

Kakashi rolled his eye at the Chuunin's reaction. "It is not as uncommon as you might think."

Iruka fully understood what the Jounin implied, and chose the easy way out "What is? Having so many smut novels?" he scoffed as he sat back down before his companion.

Kakashi 's single eye gleamed with pride. "I own the biggest collection in all of Konoha! Even Jiraya-san is envious of my limited first press signed edition of _'Boobzilla: The Adventures of a Pro-Wrestling Librarian!"_

" Why am I not surprised?" Iruka groaned.

"My point, however," Kakashi continued "is that among the shinobi it is not uncommon to have a romantic relationship with fellow comrades. I've found that gender becomes less of an issue among many of the Jounin and ANBU ranks."

Iruka gave his companion a skeptical look. "I work among far more shinobi daily then you would in an entire week. I am aware of most romances that happen around the shinobi ranks, and the majorities _are_ between couples of opposite genders."

"Oh?" Kakashi propped a hand under his chin in interest as he regarded the Chuunin with a faint smile on his lips. "Are you sure about that?"

Iruka hesitated "Well…I don't exactly mingle with the higher ranks…"

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow.

"...And I don't leave the Academy much, other than to go to the main office…" Iruka trailed off. He could tell by the curve of the one visible eye that Kakashi was smirking again. "Fine! Maybe I'm a bit out of the loop on the gossip chain, but I've got better things to do with my time!"

"That's a shame" Kakashi sighed. "I know several male colleagues who would love to jump you the first chance they could get."

Iruka was stunned. He knew that nameless bisexual and gay men must have 'looked' at him before, but by someone he actually knew and worked with? "Who?" he asked just a little too quickly.

"Hmmm? I don't usually kiss and tell…" Kakashi's voice sounded immensely amused.

Iruka tried a different tactic. "What about you? Have you dated anyone I know?"

"Ah" Kakashi lifted one finger at his companion. "If we're going to play that game then you must go first, it's only fair if I'm about to divulge my legendary date-scapades. So, give me all the dirt on your latest relationship."

"Oh." Iruka grimaced at the memory. "It was uh, a little while ago."

"Who?"

"Tezuka Midori , a mother to one of my students about a year ago. It did not go very well."

"Hmm? But was she any good?"

"By the Gods no! I mean, it never got near that far. She cornered me into a date and I had to go just to show her that I was not interested."

"Ah. So you don't like women."

"I never said that!" Iruka retorted, though he could feel his burning cheeks betraying him. He was blushing quite frequently lately. "Besides, don't try to change the subject now that it's your turn to spill."

"The last person I had a romance with…" Kakashi tapped a finger to his chin. His eye perked up with a glimmer of cheer. "Asuma!"

"As-As-Asuma?" Iruka stuttered, completely taken aback. "But he's so..._manly_!"

"The one that got away" Kakashi made a wistful sigh. "The moment Kuranai had set her red peepers on Asuma, I knew that I could never compete with her magnificent boobs!"

"But…_Asuma_!" Iruka could barely wrap his brain around the concept of the burly chain-smoking Jounin being with a person like Kakashi. "How long did you both date?"

"Oh, off and on for a couple of months. It was a casual relationship to say the least, though he was fantastic in bed! His muscles are not the only thing that's big—"

"Okay okay" Iruka interjected, afraid to hear more. Just the thought of the Copy-nin caught in the throes of passion with someone like Asuma seemed very out of character of what he knew of Kakashi, and he still was uncertain if his companion was telling the truth. "Anyone else?"

"After that I've been living the bachelor life with mostly one-nighters, with either men or women if you must know." The Copy-nin cocked his head slyly at Iruka. "Not fair for skipping your turn, so I'll rephrase my question. Who haveyou _actually_ slept with?"

"Ah well," Iruka scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of a way to dodge the question. "There's really no one-"

"What about Mizuki?"

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?" Iruka shrieked.

Before Iruka could blink, Kakashi had him thrown to the ground with a hand clamped over his mouth but the damage was already done, the Chuunin's voice echoed damnably across the valley. A few seconds later a nin-dog barked in the distance.

"Remember where we are Iruka" Kakashi whispered with the unmistakable flat tone of barely controlled anger. "Stay put while I go check the area." Without another word the Copy-nin bounded out of the cave and disappeared into the dark of the wilderness before his companion could reply.

Suddenly alone in the cold and silence of the cave, Iruka inwardly berated himself for making enough noise to jeopardize their position. How could he have made such a stupid mistake? And in hostile territory no less! Kakashi knowing about him and Mizuki had completely caught him off guard…though he really should have known better whenever Mizuki was involved.

"Shit." Iruka cursed, feeling both humiliated and ashamed of his juvenile blunder. _'Even with Mizuki gone, he still manages to ruin my life.' _

Iruka did not see Kakashi for the rest of the night.

END OF CHAPTER 5

* * *

><p>**Oh the irony…<p>

-Poor Iruka! I am sorry for this ending, but I promise that not all is lost between them!

As always, reviews and constructive critique is always appreciated!


	6. The Path of Loneliness

**Chapter 6. The Path of Loneliness**

Hatake Kakashi was not a shinobi who easily lost control of his emotions-no matter what the cause. His reaction to Iruka's blunder had been justified, though that small spark of ire had steadily grown into a temper that threatened to overwhelm the Jounin as the night progressed. The root of Kakashi's anger stemmed not only from the Chuunin's error, but from his whole situation in general. He was now itching for a fight and would have welcomed the chance to battle the enemy face-to-face than focus his pent-up energy on stealth and infiltration. He was 'Sharingan Kakashi of the Thousand Jutsus' and one of the youngest shinobi in Konoha to have ever been promoted into ANBU, his abilities were not suited to being confined as a mere spy.

As the first rays of dawn were just beginning to glow over the snow-capped mountain range, Kakashi found that his frustration had only increased despite evidence that the Chuunin's voice had gone unheard by the enemy. They had been extremely fortunate by their position in the valley, the echo had spread widely enough from the hideout that it made pinpointing the location of the cave difficult to find- hence why Kakashi had ordered Iruka to stay behind while he scouted for intruders and set up false trails and fortified traps.

_'I should have known better than to give him so much sake to drink'_ he thought darkly for the umpteenth time. _'Then I wouldn't be stuck out here doing all this pointless bullshit!'_ the Jounin's lips curled into a snarl as he finished securing a thin tripwire on a rotting tree stump. Through the fog of his anger, a small scrutinizing voice abruptly wondered why a shinobi such as himself had allowed his emotions to become rampant, and if it was just a reaction to hide something deeper in his psyche, something like…fear?  
>Kakashi paused in his trap-setting to consider that particular emotion. Fear was nothing foreign to him, and in the right amount of doses was a very healthy thing to acknowledge on the battlefield. It kept a warrior on his toes for instance, and also helped promote caution during a mission. But what was Kakashi afraid of? Certainly not the 'Kanzaka Gang' who terrorized the villagers, or that cowardly invisible enemy who had stooped low enough to use a child to attack Iruka.<p>

At the thought of the Chuunin's scarred smiling face, the Copy-nin felt his heart skip a beat.

_'Oh.'_

The Copy-nin briefly recalled his casual flirtations with Iruka, and how he had permitted himself to enjoy the flustered reactions to his provocations. He cringed inwardly at how easily he had fallen beyond simple lust for his comrade. _'At the first sign of trouble I ran out here looking for a fight—it was just an excuse to challenge those that are threatening him. This is not good...I have allowed myself to be too open around my client.'_This revelation deeply troubled Kakashi; it was not in his nature to allow anyone-even those he was attracted with—to be the source of such strong emotional turmoil. Such attachment was distractive and counterproductive to his personal code of the shinobi lifestyle.

Kakashi was fully aware that he was hardly considered 'normal' compared to the average Leaf-nin, and had stood out his entire life: first by being the son of the infamous disgraced warrior 'The White Fang' Hatake Sakumo, then secondly by becoming a Chuunin at age six followed by promotion to the Jounin rank at thirteen, then finally recruitment into the elite ANBU shortly after turning seventeen. Since he was very young, Kakashi had been uncomfortably aware of the countless pairs of eyes that followed him whenever he ventured outside his home. Both shinobi warriors and citizens alike had openly stared at him with varying mixtures of awe, jealousy, or fear. Kakashi preferred to set his own boundaries, and wearing a mask to partially cover his face offered a small amount of protection and privacy against the gaping populace, and it distanced himself comfortably from deceitful people trying to become too familiar with him.

The Copy-nin was a man who rarely gave much thought of the consequences his personal actions had outside the battlefield; he was the sort that cared little of what others considered of him. Whatever quirks Kakashi had were his own to display, and he felt more than justified to express himself however he pleased after sacrificing his entire childhood and most of his adult life to the service of the Fire Country. Other than the Yondaime and his two original teammates, very few people had been permitted to see deeper into Kakashi's personality beyond his shinobi prowess and eccentricities. The Jounin had only attempted a few romantic relationships in the past, though the majority of his sexual encounters had been purely physical with little or no emotional merit. Kakashi's experience with sex was not unusual among the elite warrior classes (who typically had little contact with the world outside their missions) for many, sex was just another means for stress release—and a convenient diversion from the steady stream of violence and tragedy that their kind constantly faced; it was just that-a diversion.

But what was the reason behind Kakashi's sudden sense of anxiety when he thought of being close with the Chuunin like that? Iruka was hardly a person to be afraid of (unless you were one of the unruly students inside his classroom) in fact, he was quite the opposite of any warrior Kakashi had known; Iruka was a Leaf-nin dedicated to nurturing the budding skills of the future protectors of Konoha. He was sincere, likable, patient, kind…and his smile was warm and genuine. His personality was stable and untainted by years enduring the burden of horror and loss encountered in war.

In short, Iruka was everything Kakashi was not.

_'He is too innocent. Iruka cannot possibly understand what I am really like—or what I am capable of, and what I have already done. There is too much blood on my hands to be with a person like him.' _

As a battle-hardened warrior, the Copy-nin was no stranger to taking a life. He had fought during the Third Shinobi War with the legendary 'Yellow Flash' as his mentor, who had taught his prodigy the finer arts of taking a life. Kakashi respected Iruka as a fellow Konoha shinobi, but knew that the Chuunin was a person who was far more comfortable with instructing children and living alongside the ordinary citizens of Konoha, and had experienced only a handful of serious conflicts during his service... how could he understand what it was like to truly live amongst the shadows and be raised as a living weapon? Most shinobi who had been similarly gifted as the Copy-nin had either gone mad with their own agendas and defected like Orochimaru and the Uchiha brothers, or had died long ago on the battlefield. His was a life devoted to darkness and violence, a secluded Chuunin such as Umino Iruka- who thrived in the light and laughter of children, could not possibly consider forming a bond with the feared 'Sharingan Kakashi.'

"I'm being foolish." Kakashi muttered as he stood motionless in the mossy glade while he tried to sort out his conflicting thoughts and emotions. He could not deny the strong attraction he felt for his companion, but was it a connection that Iruka would welcome and return—and was it a relationship worth attempting for something more than a simple fuck? That notion was almost more frightening than any battle Kakashi had ever faced in his short violent life.

_'Shit, I'm acting like a schoolgirl afraid of being rejected by her first crush!'_Kakashi thought with chagrin. Minato-Sensei's stern voice echoed in his mind: "A shinobi could not afford to be distracted on a mission; his mind must be clear and certain until the objective has been reached." It was among the first of many lessons he had received from his former instructor, and one that Kakashi held almost as dear to the 'leave no comrade behind' code his former teammate Uchiha Obito had taught him.

_'I will have to distance myself.'_The protection of his client was the main objective of this mission; Kakashi would not allow the Chuunin's safety to become jeopardized simply because he couldn't be entirely calm and collected. The Jounin had no intention of visiting 'Umino Iruka' chiseled on the memorial stone alongside Obito's name. No, Kakashi would have to resign himself on abandoning that potential future. When they returned to Konoha they would separate and go about their opposite lives. Iruka would never know the impact he had on the Copy-nin, and it was better that way.

The Jounin turned at the sudden sound of a large animal rushing through the forest, but quickly relaxed after recognizing the familiar footsteps. The bushes on the outskirt of the small clearing rustled and then parted to reveal Urushi slowing his pace to a quick trot. The white nin-dog sneezed a dried leaf from his nose before reaching the Copy-nin, he whined and then pawed at the ground besides the shinobi's foot.

"Don't fret, I'm going back." Kakashi told the nin-dog as he stooped to scratch Urushi's favorite spot under the chin. The red sun had just started to peek over the ridge of the mountains, heralding the start of a hot summer day. 'Sharingan Kakashi' still had a mission- to protect his client and infiltrate Gizan village for information. No matter what else was going on in his head, that objective was clear. He must root out this elusive enemy and defend Umino Iruka, or die trying.

* * *

><p>Kakashi returned to the cave shortly after the sun had fully risen above the mountain line. The Copy-nin was starting to feel the first tendrils of exhaustion tugging at his energy after the rigorous night of patrolling and sorting his innermost thoughts, but he ignored it—as easily as he ignored intense look of concern on Iruka's face when the younger man walked out of the hideout to greet him.<p>

"We were lucky, there seems to be no one searching this area." Kakashi stated before his companion started to speak. "We still need to leave; this area is no longer safe." The Jounin moved into the back of the small cave where the orange chest containing his precious book collection was readied. It disappeared into a puff of smoke after a light tap on the closed lid.

Iruka's body was a dark silhouette against the bright morning sun as he followed Kakashi uncertainly into the shadowy cave. "Er, I'm very sorry about last-" his apology was cut off by a quick hand motion from the Jounin

"No, it was my fault. I never should have brought alcohol in the first place" Kakashi interjected as he brushed past the Chuunin. Iruka could not help noticing how the Copy-nin refused to make eye contact when he spoke, and was unsettled by his easy-going companion's sudden icy demeanor.

Kakashi pulled his mask down far enough for his sharp teeth to reopen the small cut on his thumb, and then made the proper motions for a quick summons. All eight nin-dogs puffed into view among a thick cloud of white smoke. "What's up boss?" Pakkun asked from his perch on the huge bulldog-nin's head, representing the non-speaking dogs.

"Thank you everyone for all your hard work. We will be traveling silently from now on, so everyone take a rest. I will summon all of you again for guard duty. Pakkun, I need you to remain to sniff out our trail."

The black bulldog in the pack barked questionably. "Bull-kun want to know if you will get more venison next time, that last buck was quite tasty" Pakkun translated.

"If I can manage" Kakashi promised. "That, or wild boar."

The nin-dogs licked their chops and growled appreciatively, and then disappeared. Pakkun's stout body gently plopped to the ground. The pug-nin wrinkled his nose at the Jounin "I hope that there's a little extra incentive for me staying behind."

"Of course, I will give you an extra portion of prime-rib steak when we get home. Just don't tell the rest of the pack."

"Promises, promises" the pug-nin muttered as he nosed his way into the forest underbrush, his curly tail quickly disappearing from view.

Kakashi turned to glance at Iruka. "Let's move."

Iruka nodded and shouldered his pack. Kakashi obviously was still angry with him from the night before, and the Chuunin couldn't really blame him after all the effort the Copy-nin had put into keeping him safe so far. He would just have to endure the icy treatment until he could regain the Jounin's respect again.

* * *

><p>They trekked cautiously into the deep forested valley. Kakashi walked at a brisk steady pace ahead of Iruka with Pakkun leading the way. he hot sun shone brightly through thickly leafed branches to create green tinged shadows that dappled across the two traveler's paths, but the shade offered little relief against the muggy heat.<br>Kakashi barely spoke to his companion while they walked, other than to make a brief observation of an easier path to take. Iruka stoically bore the stiff silence and traveled without complaint, he was determined to cause as little trouble as possible for his bodyguard. The awkward silence drew on until the late afternoon hours when their path was blocked by a great frothing river.

"Hmm, this is too dangerous to cross." Kakashi observed as he studied the white-capped rapids churning in the wide river. "There must be a waterfall around here, judging by how the terrain sharply inclines up ahead."

"I think you're right." Iruka stooped down and pulled his Hiate-ate off to splash cold river water on his face. He was rather glad to have his hair pulled tightly back on hot days such as these, especially since his black undershirt and heavy vest were causing him to sweat. He wondered how the Copy-nin could stand the added material of the black mask covering half his face.

"We will make camp further upstream." Kakashi watched the fast flowing river with a critical eye. "If we're lucky we will find an area where the current slows, it would make spearing for fish easier and more plentiful in calmer waters."

"I haven't done that since I was a child." Iruka wiped water from his face with a sleeve. "I hope I haven't lost my touch." He looked up to see that the Jounin had already started walking away but was close enough to still be in earshot. Iruka's jaw tightened with anger at being so blatantly ignored. _'I could understand his aloofness if he's still mad, but now he's just being a jerk'_he thought irritably as he hurried to follow.

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><p>The travelers found the immense waterfall before dusk descended upon the valley and with it a suitable campsite near the base of the crashing waters. Kakashi chose a dry spot on the rocky shore between the sheer cliffs that the water fell from and a natural half-dam made from forest debris that had been swept down the falls and had piled upon itself over the years. The mound of uprooted sun-bleached trees and the cliffs provided ample shelter from unwanted eyes spotting the glow of the nightly campfire, and shelter from both the wind and deafening sound of the crashing waters. The barrier of forest wreckage was large enough to have diverted the strong current to the far left side of the river, and consequently provided deep pools for fish hiding under the debris as they waited for swarms of insects to gather above.<p>

Iruka swatted at a blood-sucking insect that had settled on his thigh. The location of the campsite unfortunately provided a haven for mosquitoes, of which was definitely the ONE part of nature that the Chuunin could certainly do without.

Kakashi looked up from sharpening a twig with his kunai. "Rub a light sheen of wet river clay on your skin" he advised and turned back to his work. Pakkun snored quietly beside his master on the log the Jounin used as a seat, the little pug-nin was unbothered by the mosquitoes due to his thick fur coat.

"Yeah, I know." Iruka scanned the deep pool beside the campsite, he did not relish the option of adding a layer of clay on his already over-heated body, and he was sorely tempted to go for a swim to cool off-but knew that doing so would just scare off their dinner. He felt a light tap on his shoulder; Iruka turned around to see Kakashi holding a finished fishing spear out for him. "I'm uh, probably not very good at this" the Chuunin admitted as he accepted the spear, it was a long pointed pole with several sharpened twigs bound to the tip to better grab the slippery prey.

"It's rather easy, but it takes practice to get it right." Kakashi stood up and unzipped his vest. "You'd better strip in case you fall in."

The Chuunin nodded and gratefully started to pull off his heavy clothes. Both men were soon down to wearing their black uniform pants, except for the Copy-nin who opted to keep his sleeveless black undershirt on with the mask, his Hiate-ate was removed so the Sharingan could better spot the elusive fish camouflaged against the riverbed.

Iruka leaped over to the cluster of fallen trees, his bare torso prickled at the chill wind that blew across the river. He poured chakra into his feet to better grip the smooth grain of a barkless tree as he perched precariously above the cloudy pool. He could just barely make out the slender shapes of the small brown fish as they cautiously ventured from their hiding spots. _'There!'_he stabbed directly down, and was shocked to see his spear catch hold of nothing.

"You need to aim a little above your target before striking." Kakashi seemed to have materialized out from nowhere; strong pale arms encircled Iruka's to guide the spear to the next target. The Chuunin's body stiffened against the contact of the Jounin's warm grasp, and his heart pounded furiously in his chest. "Light in the water refracts, so if you try to hit what you see you will just end up missing." The Copy-nin leaned further to press his body against the younger man as he watched a particularly fat fish swim lazily by. Iruka could now see Kakashi's profile out of the corner of his right eye, the Copy-nin's Sharingan was intently focused on the pool, and his grip on Iruka's arms was firm and unmoving. Iruka warred with himself between allowing the strange Jounin to continue invading his personal space, or to risk an attempt to throw him off into the pool below.

Kakashi jerked Iruka's arms down into the water and they were both rewarded with the fat wriggling fish stuck on the spear. "Like that." The Jounin retreated from the semi-embrace.

"Um, thanks?" Iruka watched in confusion as the Jounin turned away to pick up his own spear and wait for his own meal to swim by. _'What the hell? He treats me like I'm invisible all day and then does something like THAT as if it was no big deal.'_Realizing that Copy-nin would say no more, the Chuunin shook his head and made his way back to the campsite to start a cooking fire, he was a little unsure of how he should feel about Kakashi's odd behavior.

* * *

><p><em>'Why the hell did I do that?'<em>Kakashi's Sharingan caught a faint flicker of movement under the shade of a dead tree branch and he absentmindedly stabbed down. He was almost certain that the Chuunin had retreated back to the river bank some time ago, but it was difficult to be sure over the sound of water tumbling down the cliff. The Copy-nin did not dare turn around to check. Despite the fact that his mask was securely in place, his pale skin made blushing embarrassingly obvious to the outside world, and he would rather not risk Iruka seeing any part of him looking so flustered.

_'How could I break my own protocol? By the Gods, I'm supposed to be ignoring him…and I practically hugged him!'_He flicked his spear backwards to add the brown river trout to the growing pile of assorted fish. Kakashi's intention of instructing the younger man on proper spear fishing had been entirely innocent-until he was physically touching Iruka's warm tanned skin. The Jounin was not exactly upset at himself for giving in to the temptation of pressing a little closer...in fact the he had felt a thrill at the vibration of Iruka's heart quickening at the contact. It had taken great effort on Kakashi's part to regulate his own heartbeat from betraying him, and every ounce of his self discipline from acting upon any more impulses beyond a half-embrace.

_'I really must be a genuine pervert if I'm having this much trouble controlling myself'_ Kakashi thought with a grimace as he stabbed his spear into the water. _'Shit, the only way I'm going to get around this problem is if I suddenly become a eunuch...which is definitely NOT going to happen.'_

He shook another trout off his spear then stood waiting impatiently for the next unfortunate river dweller to swim by. Kakashi had worked hard on distancing himself from his companion, but had only succeeded in making himself even more frustrated than ever before. The Copy-nin was now engaged in an intense battle: to whole heartedly apply himself to his mission, or give into his personal desires. If only he could find some balance between the two...but then again, maybe all of his self-doubt and deliberations had been for nothing. By now Iruka could have lost all interest in the Jounin (Kakashi had hardly been a gentleman lately) and he really should have known better than to bring up such a sore topic as Chuunin's former lover the night before.

_'Hmph. Mizuki.'_Kakashi had always thought very little of the man whenever he encountered the former Leaf-nin in the main office building. Mizuki had been an under-achieving Chuunin who was always boasting of one thing or another, and his sexual exploits had been among his bragging- including those that involved Umino Iruka.

One of the sharpened twigs on Kakashi's spear snapped off as he missed his target and hit a rock. The Jounin had been away on a mission at the time of Mizuki's betrayal, and what Kakashi knew of the particulars he learned by reading Naruto's Genin report and from the usual gossip chains. Mizuki had apparently defected his allegiance to the Fire Country for his own personal gain and attempted to steal forbidden jutsu scrolls by manipulating (at the time) a very naive Naruto, and was foiled by Iruka's interference. Rather than surrender, Mizuki chose to kill his fellow countrymen and pin the blame on the young Nine Tails Jinchuriki. It was despicable to betray and attack a fellow comrade-but attempting to murder a former lover?

The sight of the deep jagged scar betweem Iruka's exposed shoulder-blades flitted before Kakashi's eyes. The wound had been dangerously close to severing the Chuunin's spine despite the protection of the armored vest. A low growl rumbled in the Jounin's throat as he purposely stabbed at the soft riverbed. It was really too bad that Mizuki had already been captured; Kakashi would have relished the opportunity to track down the defective Leaf-nin for a little heart-to-heart 'chat.'

"KAKASHI!"

The Jounin was taken completely off guard by the loud voice directly behind him. He spun around to face Iruka, and in his shock he momentarily lost chakra control in his feet (and his balance.) With a rather undignified squawk Kakashi slipped off the smooth log and tumbled gracelessly into the water.

Iruka cried out and fell to his hands and knees, his brown eyes wide with mortification at causing his surly companion to fall. "I am SO sorry! Are you all right?"

Kakashi floundered in the pool for a moment before he was able twist around to see his flushed-faced companion. "Never better" he drawled then coughed on the water trapped under his mask. He found his balance and stood up in the waist-deep pool to pull the sodden mask off his face. "Hm? What's wrong?" the Copy-nin asked when he saw Iruka look away with tightly closed eyes.

"I shouldn't have snuck up you like that. I tried to call you from the bank but you couldn't hear me" Iruka replied with his eyes still squeezed shut. "I know you don't like anyone seeing your whole face uncovered, and I'm sorry about that too. Shit, I can do nothing but screw up lately!"

Kakashi was completely taken aback by the Chuunin's consideration, and stared dumbstruck at Iruka. In all the times the Jounin had ever exposed his entire face around anyone-either openly or discreetly—he had always received that same gawking reaction similar to those that had haunted him as a child. Rather than take advantage of Kakashi's temporary weakness, Iruka had voluntarily looked away. Every lover the Copy-nin had ever taken had never failed to leap upon the opportunity to scrutinize his ordinary features, the Chuunin-Sensei was the first person Kakashi had ever met to have done otherwise.

It was in that moment that the last of Kakashi's stony resolve crumbled, and he finally allowed his over-calculating mind to acknowledge the warmth he felt in his heart as he silently regarded the younger man. _'I'll be damned!'_ Kakashi thought with wonder. _'It feels just like a passage from one of my Icha Icha books. Jiraiya really knows what he's writing about!'_

"Can I go now?" Iruka asked without opening his eyes. "I want to get back to the fire before it dies out."

Kakashi waded through the water until he was close enough to speak directly into Iruka's ear. "Did you see my face, Sensei?" The Jounin's voice was soft and dead serious. "I must let you know that if you did, I cannot allow you to live."

"Huh?" Iruka's eyes flew open in time to catch a brief glimpse of Kakashi's grinning face, and then the Jounin grabbed his arms and flung the unfortunate Chuunin into the cold water.

"You are such an asshole!" Iruka sputtered when his head popped back above the surface.

"I've been told that I have a particularly nice one" Kakashi replied as he casually strolled around the Chuunin on the pool's surface, he kept in mind to stay within an arm's reach of his fuming companion. "And since you've managed to scare all the fish away, we will have to make do with what we got."

"That's why I was calling you." Iruka pointed to the log where Kakashi had fished upon, dead fish lay in a sizable mound that could reach the Jounin's thigh. "I don't think we can eat all of that."

Both of Kakashi's eyes widened at the amount of food he had unknowingly acquired while he had been lost his frustrated thoughts. "Well, ah...I caught extra portions for my dogs."

Iruka made a displeased noise at that, and started to swim towards the rocky bank. "They better like it raw. I'm not staying up all night cooking!"

"Of course they do, sashimi dog food is a particular specialty of mine!" Kakashi lied, knowing full well that his nin-dog pack would become extremely surly and disgruntled if he went back on his promise of wild pig. He wondered what he was going to do with all the fish before it started to stink...

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><p>Iruka chanced a last look at the Jounin before the protruding mass of dead trees obscured the other shinobi from view; Kakashi remained where he stood while he scratched his head in bewilderment at the enormous bounty of raw fish. The Copy-nin's abrupt mood change from cold detachment to playful familiarity was one that perplexed Iruka, and was made even more puzzling since the sudden shift seemed to have been instigated only after Iruka had unexpectedly startled him into the pool.<p>

_'He's one of the best trained shinobi Konoha has to offer, and I wasn't exactly stealthy when I approached him. He should not have been caught off guard like that.'_ Iruka stepped over broken twigs and sharp rocks that were barely visible in the darkening water as he carefully made his way to the campfire. _'Either way, I'm glad that Kakashi doesn't seem so mad at me anymore.'_

His teeth chattered as the warmth of the hot summer day waned and gave way to the cooling purple-pink skies of twilight. Both he and Kakashi had only brought one set of clothes, and they would have to dry their pants out before retiring to bed. _'I wonder if he's distracted by something else bothering him.'_Iruka did not like Kakashi's strange (well, more strange than usual) behavior, especially if a confrontation with the enemy was imminent in the near future. No matter what the Jounin said, he was determined to be more active in the mission, and it would not do either of them any good if the more experienced of the two shinobi's minds remained unfocused. Whatever it was, Iruka decided to get to the bottom of the matter before Kakashi had a chance to slip away.

The Chuunin didn't know what to think of his odd companion, he was still unsettled by the memory of that lean powerful body pressed against his back. Iruka craved the flirtatious attentions Kakashi directed at him but he also wanted to rebuff them at the same time—and more than he previously realized, Iruka wanted to touch and be touched by the Copy-nin. _'I am a desperate fool'_Iruka thought bitterly as he gathered dry twigs to refuel the dying fire.

He was a little more than wary on making any moves that could upset the fragile truce Kakashi had reestablished between them. Iruka's traitorous body yearned with the need to give into his lust, though the logical and more cautious side of his mind warned against being with someone unpredictable like Kakashi. The round-about dance of caution and desire was a familiar one to the Chuunin, even after three years he still felt the sting of his last relationship with Mizuki, which had hardly been a healthy one. "I don't ever want to be used like that again" Iruka whispered to himself, hoping that his spoken words would harden his resolve against the Jounin's charms.

_'Dammit, now I'm getting distracted!'_Iruka yanked the elastic band from his sodden ponytail for his hair to dry. "Stupid, stupid Kakashi!" he growled as he continued to work on rekindling the campfire.

"Hm?" Pakkun snorted awake on the beached tree where he had fallen asleep. The nin-dog lifted his head to face the Chuunin across the fire pit. "What's that about the Boss?" he yawned.

"Oh sorry Pakkun, I forgot you were there." Iruka apologized and walked over to sit besides the pug and affectionately scratched the scruff of his neck.

The stout nin-dog wiggled his tail happily at the attention. "Is the Boss giving you trouble?"

"I'm not sure. Kakashi-san has been rather erratic lately." Iruka smiled wryly to himself at the thought of confiding to a dog, albeit an extremely intelligent one.

Pakkun eyed the shinobi. "You've been giving him a lot of trouble yourself."

Iruka scowled at the nin-dog, his mood souring again. "It was never my intention to drag him along in this mess."

"That is not what I meant." Pakkun sighed happily when Iruka found his favorite spot behind an ear. "Any dog worth his snout can tell that the Boss really likes your scent, and apparently you do too. You both should just mate and get it over with."

Iruka paused to stare at the tiny nin-dog. Pakkun stared back at the Chuunin, waiting for him to continue with the scratching. "Why'd you stop for?" the pug asked.

"EXCUSE me?" Iruka demanded, his face turning red at the dog's eerie perceptiveness.

"I think you're both old enough to know what to do with each other." Pakkun rolled his droopy eyes. "I should know, I traveled with the two of you all day, and you both reek with the pheromones of two young males in their prime ready to rut."

"It's not that simple!" Iruka hissed as he glanced around nervously for any sign of the Copy-nin.

"You humans like to make it complicated" Pakkun snorted and jumped off the log. "All animals become stupid by this sort of tension, it's better to just listen to your instincts." The pug-nin trotted over to the blazing campfire and settled himself comfortably before it. "The Boss really likes you" he sighed contently at the warmth. "I've never seen him get so worked up this way over a mate before." The little dog closed his eyes to sleep, ending the conversation with the Chuunin.

Iruka clamped a hand over his bare forehead and stared up at the sky in despair. _'Great, now the dog knows!'_ he inwardly groaned. It suddenly occurred to him that more than ten minutes had passed since he had returned to the campsite, and that it would probably be wise to have his wet clothes off and the more sensitive bits of his naked body hidden before the Jounin made an appearance. _'Kakashi might try to surprise me again when he returns, and with my luck going as it is lately I'll end up falling into the fire with my pants down!'_Iruka gave one last suspicious look at his empty surroundings before he hastily pulled a spare blanket out from the pack to cover himself with, and started to undress.

**END OF CHAPTER 6**

**Final word: **There's a lot less action and plot development then I wanted to include in this chapter, but I felt that it was necessary to focus on Kakashi's and Iruka's budding relationship at this point of the story. The plot will be a lot more intense and action-packed from now on, so this is the 'calm before the storm' so to say (in more ways than one!) As always, reviews/con. critique is always welcomed. Thank you again for reading!


	7. A Love Found, Then Lost Again

**Notes: **This story is rated M for a reason. Alternate version of this story can be found on adultfanfiction, but only go there if you're of age (waggles finger in warning like an old lady) Here's another long chapter (phew!) it almost rotted my teeth from all the sweet. Thank you Juniperbreezie for beta'in this!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7. A Love Found, Then Lost Again<strong>

"I don't believe it!" Iruka grumbled an hour later, both he and Kakashi were snugly wrapped in blankets as they waited for their clothes to dry by the heat of the campfire. The Chuunin could barely contain the anger and frustration from seeping into his voice as he gave his comrade a disgruntled look. "Why do you insist on me waiting _again,_and this time so far from the village?"

"It's just a precaution, and I promise that it will be the last time that I'll be leaving you behind." Kakashi had returned to the campsite only a short time ago after hunting for a boar to satisfy his pack of nin-dogs, who were now on patrol. He had dismissed Pakkun for the night and then stripped off his wet clothes to dry alongside Iruka's pants. The Jounin had a new mask comfortably in place, and like the Chuunin, had opted not to wear a Hitai-ate while his hair dried. The Sharingan eye remained closed as he tended to the cooking fish.

"Mmm, these smell good." Kakashi turned the generous portions of skewered fish that were set near the crackling fire. "As a teacher, you should know that it is foolhardy to charge into an enemy encampment without a proper plan. Right now it is just speculation that the local gang of renegade shinobi thugs is behind your assassination attempts, and we don't even have a proper head count of its members. This 'Kanzaka Gang' seems to be based inside Gizan Village itself; and I have yet to find any signs of enemy scouts patrolling the valley. I doubt that anyone would venture out in a remote place such as this, so you should be fairly safe with the nin-pack while I talk to Matsuri-san for the last time."

The Chuunin sighed in exasperation and looked over at the dark waterfall that could be heard crashing nearby. "I still think that it would be wiser for me to accompany you for reinforcement tomorrow, who knows what can happen—and there's no real reason for me to stay behind if you're just gathering information. I'm eager to do something other than sit around all day!"

"Oh? Were my books not entertaining enough for you?" Kakashi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"And besides," Iruka continued, ignoring Jounin's attempt to divert the conversation. "What about the mule and the cart? Won't it seem suspicious if you were to return suddenly after abandoning it at the Inn for nearly two days? Any shinobi with half a brain would be watching it and the movements of outsiders in their town."

"I've already sold everything that's so burdensome a few days ago." Kakashi selected a cooked fish and sniffed at it before taking a careful bite. "I've told Matsuri-san and anyone else that would listen that 'Takahiro the Wandering Merchant' had decided to visit someone outside the village to pay off gambling debts, though I wasn't specific on who it was, and no one followed me when I left." The Jounin spat out a long fishbone into the fire. "When I return, I will just tell Matsuri-san that I was delayed by this 'someone' who was a fishmonger—and that I had acquired a fair amount of fresh fish after a few hands of dice. It will help cement my image as Takahiro being an unassuming merchant with gambling problems."

Iruka picked up a roasted fish for himself. "That would make a good alibi, but don't forget that farmers are usually mean hagglers if you try to sell the fish to them." The Chuunin smiled at his own words, recalling the sometimes heated bartering he had exchanged at the market stalls in Konoha. At the thought of his hometown and the elite shinobi that had volunteered to allow his escape, he suddenly became incredibly homesick. His appetite now gone he put aside the food and lost himself to his memories while he stared into the fire.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, interrupting Iruka's thoughts.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of home."

"Hmm, you really are a homebody" The Jounin had a thought that might lift the Chuunin-Sensei's mood. "I have been meaning to send a messenger bird back to the Hokage to update her on our location and whatnot." Kakashi produced a tiny strip of paper and a fine-tipped pen from his traveling pack. "Is there anything that you would like me to add?"

At first Iruka's mind drew up a blank, then Naruto's beaming face materialized. "I never had time to formalize any paperwork before we left. Please tell Tsunade-sama to make the proper arrangements for Naruto to inherit everything if I never come back."

"Aren't we pessimistic?" Kakashi said dryly, though his words held understanding at the decision. He scratched a few coded words onto the slip of paper then carefully tucked it away to send in the morning. "Naruto must really mean a lot to you to go as far as you've said" he observed.

"He's an orphan who's had no adult to depend on his entire life." Iruka scratched the bridge of his nose where his prominent scar fell. "I know what it is like to be alone like that, I'd never wish for that on any child. Making him my heir is the least I can do for him."

The Jounin said nothing for a while. "Your parents were killed by the Kyuubi, were they not? I'm sure you've felt differently at one time, like many of Konoha's residents still do."

Iruka's expression tightened. "I did, at one time" he confessed. "I've even went so far as to make a request to the Third Hokage to be transferred to a different class when I first heard that I was to teach the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails." The Chuunin's mouth quirked at the memory of his former mentor. "He refused of course. Sandaime-sama insisted that I'd be his teacher, and told me that Naruto was not the Kyuubi that I hated and feared, but like me, was another orphaned victim of the tragedy. I think because of that similarity, he knew that I would eventually be able to sympathize with Naruto, and acknowledge him as a person and not the monster who killed my family."

"That would make sense. The Sandaime was both a wise man and perceptive Hokage." Kakashi saw that Iruka had not touched the food since his mood had slumped; the Chuunin still radiated gloominess. He pointedly handed the cooked fish back to the other man. "Eat. You need to keep up your strength."

Iruka eyed both the Jounin and the offered food for a few moments, and then gingerly accepted it. "You're awfully pleasant all of a sudden after being a dick all day" he said bluntly.

Kakashi masked his urge to cringe at the accusation by turning it into a casual shrug. It had been unrealistic to hope that Iruka had forgotten about his earlier rude behavior. "I had a lot on my mind today."

"Oh really?" The Chuunin set the roasted fish aside and folded his arms in an obvious display of being unconvinced, and waited for the Jounin to say more.

"I err...was just lost in my thoughts on strategizing our upcoming assault..." Kakashi continued lamely, faltering a bit under the hard disapproving gaze.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at that, and remained patiently waiting.

Kakashi sighed and conceded to his defeat. "All right, I was really worried for you."

"Ah." Iruka held up a finger. Pakkun be damned, there had to be a different reason behind Kakashi's distraction, and he knew that he was close to the root of the cause. "If that were true, then why didn't you just say so?"

"Well...it's complicated."

The Chuunin was unmoved. "Try me."

"It's difficult for me to say this" Kakashi said after a long pause, he looked up at his companion, his one unclosed eye carefully held no expression. "I really like you, Sensei."

Iruka's heart fluttered under the Jounin's intense look. He felt the familiar heat of his damnable blush spread across his face, and turned away. "I thought I told you not to call me Sensei" he muttered.

"Sorry, I really like you _Iruka."_Kakashi's voice was gentle as he studied the varied emotions that flickered across the Chuunin's face, who did not meet his gaze. "I think you feel similar, don't you?" he ventured.

"Why?" Iruka whispered hoarsely, his fists clenched at the blanket he wore wrapped around his body as if it could offer protection. "Why would you like me like that? I'm a nobody compared to you."

Kakashi was a little shocked by those words. "I can't really say why" he admitted. "But I like you for who you are, and because you're a fellow shinobi."

Iruka looked up. "Why would that matter?"

"Not very many citizens can understand what we must go through, and I have lived my entire life on the battlefield" he replied softly. "With a history such as mine, establishing a normal relationship becomes extremely difficult, and it is far more convenient and fulfilling to love a fellow comrade who could comprehend the hardship of being used as a living weapon."

Suddenly uncomfortable at revealing so much, Kakashi pulled a set of kunai from his pack and busied himself with honing the blades on a small stone. "I find it easier to relate to a comrade who can understand the hell of war, and its repercussions." The Copy-nin shrugged. "Those amongst the Jounin and ANBU ranks generally live a short violent life. A living weapon must chose to either become just that, or make the effort to connect with people to retain a small measure of humanity. I feel the need to be with someone, and I've tried my best but I usually end up with unsatisfying people. Even among my fellow warriors, the temptation to use their partners for their own means is a very real threat. One must be extremely careful on where to invest their feelings."

For a very long time, both men said nothing. The only sounds that filled the silence were Kakashi's kunai grating on the whetstone and the fire that crackled and popped as it consumed the bone dry wood.

"Mizuki was my first." Iruka started tentatively, his brown eyes were fixed on the flames and his hands tightened and relaxed in nervous agitation. "We had been childhood friends since the Nine-Tails attack that took away my parents, and his mother. Mizuki was the only one who saw something deeper in me other than the class prankster I tried to be, and I cherished his friendship."

Kakashi paused in sharpening his weapons to listen.

"However, as the years went by I had developed an informal friendship with the Third Hokage. Mizuki became jealous of the Sandaime giving me attention and he started to hurt me. It was little things at first with stinging comments and crude jokes on my part-but he refused to leave my side. There were too many good memories between us, and I chose to ignore the signs since he was my only close friend, and then shortly after I confided to him that I wasn't attracted to women he leapt upon the opportunity to seduce me."

Iruka's head bowed with shame. "I was a lonely fool and allowed him to do as he would in fear of losing his companionship. He gave me what I wanted at first, attention and love, but shortly thereafter he used my emotions as a tool to manipulate the relationship for his own means." The Chuunin's clasped hands trembled slightly at the memory of his weakness. "My need to be loved was only a carrot to dangle before my face, I had a taste for it and I followed Mizuki around for any chance to experience it again, which he would only present whenever we fought or I threatened to leave. It was only at the end when I finally had enough of being taken for granted that he really turned for the worse. A few months later he went so far as to turn traitor and use Naruto to obtain the forbidden jutsu scrolls."

The Chuunin sighed and ran a hand through his loose hair. "I never thought that he would actually go so far as attacking me or Naruto. It was only then that I realized how little I had ever meant to Mizuki. The years of friendship, the love, and the torment I went through for the sake of it—it was all just a waste. I had been used the whole time." A shaky breath escaped Iruka's lips when he finished. It was a part of his personal history that he had never confessed with anyone, and he felt a little light headed after exposing so much. "I've been afraid to try anything serious ever since. I know it is stupid to feel that way over a miserable and spiteful person like Mizuki."

"No, it's not stupid, just logical." Kakashi said as he wiped his last kunai clean and tucked it away. "It's only natural for anyone who has been treated as such to push others away. It is possible for it to happen again, but like any mission you must take what you learned from a disaster and become stronger and more cautious by it."

"That's true…" Iruka grimaced, and his shoulders sagged unhappily. "I just miss what we once shared, even though I know that it will never be the same between us. The person I once loved had died, and turned into someone that I no longer recognize."

The loss that showed in the Chuunin's face tugged at Kakashi's heart. The Jounin quietly stood up and walked over to kneel before the younger man. On a whim, he pulled the mask off his head. Iruka's brown eyes widened as both of Kakashi's mismatched eyes opened to better hold his gaze. "He never deserved you, Iruka. You are too good a man to waste such love on a person who would willingly throw it away." The Jounin's visible scar across his left eye twitched, and he placed a hand over his companion's to give it a slight squeeze to emphasis what words could not convey that he felt.

Iruka's posture eased a little. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, both their naked foreheads touched. Kakashi took that as an incentive, and edged himself closer until he almost pressed his left cheek against the younger man's, and with his own eyes closed he deeply inhaled the Chuunin's subtle spicy-sweet scent.

Confused at first, Iruka nearly pulled away. But then he remembered Pakkun's earlier words. _'That's right, he likes my scent'_he relaxed, and allowed himself to enjoy the earthy musk that belonged to Kakashi. The Jounin's long index finger gently brushed the surface of the Chuunin's knuckles; Iruka lifted his hand to allow their fingers to intertwine. Deciding to take the risk, Kakashi bent his head to nuzzle at the Chuunin's neck through the loose dark hair. Iruka gasped at the unexpected contact.

"Iruka?" Kakashi pulled away to study the other man's expression, whose face was flushed and body tense. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Iruka cut off Kakashi's words by thrusting himself forward with a kiss that nearly knocked the older shinobi over on his back. Kakashi made a surprised sound that was muffled by the Chuunin's mouth; he was completely taken aback by the force of the other man's intent. Iruka pulled back on hearing the sound. "I'm sorry, was I too forward?"

"Forward?" Kakashi laughed and pulled the younger man off his perch to straddle his lap on the ground. "I'd say so." He had always suspected the Chuunin-Sensei to be more timid and shy when it came to initiating physical contact, providing how easily the younger man blushed. It was quite a pleasant surprise to be proven otherwise.

"Would you like me to go on then?" Iruka asked, and received a sarcastic snort in reply. "Stupid question, I guess" he chuckled nervously. "Sorry, it's been a while for me."

The Jounin touched his nose against his companion's and smiled. "Whatever you like." He moved back to exploring Iruka's neck, his breath ghosted across the exposed skin which sent a delicious tingle down the Chuunin's spine. The fingers of his left hand played with the ends of the dark hair that fell behind the tanned shoulders. "I really like your hair down."

"It gets in the way when I'm hunched over a desk." Iruka brushed a loose strand of the somewhat damp hair from his brown eyes. "I leave it down when I'm at home." He shifted his weight on Kakashi's lap then abruptly halted in his movement. "Um..." Iruka scooted back uncomfortably, suddenly aware of himself and the other man's aroused state. He looked down wide-eyed to see two unmistakable lumps under the thin blankets.

"And what shall we do with these?" Kakashi teased, and gripped the other man around the waist to pull him a bit closer, and then bucked his hips up slightly-and was rewarded with Iruka inhaling sharply at the contact, the Chuunin closed his eyes and pressed back with a small moan. With a grin at seeing the younger man's flushed wanton expression, Kakashi carefully began to pull the blanket off his companion's body.

"Kakashi," Iruka said sternly and gripped the Jounin's arms to still them. "I can only go so far so soon." He swallowed audibly and warily studied the mismatched eyes, searching for possible deception or a negative reaction to his plea.

The Copy-nin was hard pressed on hiding his disappointment; he was used to going all the way with his partners on the first sexual encounter, but he decided that Iruka had the right to go at his own pace and that the Chuunin was worth the wait. "Alright" he said honestly after a few moments. Trust was definitely important to establish between them, and as much as Kakashi wanted to ravish the other man he would restrain himself until permitted otherwise.

Iruka smiled gratefully and visibly relaxed. The gratitude on the younger shinobi's face alleviated Kakashi's disappointment a little. "Thank you" the Chuunin said and kissed him deeply on the mouth, and then determinedly started to work his way down by kissing and gently nipping at the pale neck while pressing against Kakashi's shoulders to encourage the older shinobi to lie smiled gratefully and visibly relaxed. The gratitude on the younger shinobi's face alleviated Kakashi's disappointment a little. "Thank you" the Chuunin said and kissed him deeply on the mouth, and then determinedly started to work his way down by kissing and gently nipping at the pale neck while pressing against Kakashi's shoulders to encourage the older shinobi to lie down.

"What are you-?" Kakashi was mildly puzzled at first, and was about to complain about the discomfort of the hard river stones pressing into his back when both his eyes widened as he understood Iruka's intentions.

"You're a _bad_ Sensei!" Kakashi scolded, his breath hitched to near-groan.

* * *

><p>Kakashi awoke to a peaceful misty dawn. His normal right eye roamed the clear pink skies above, and he heard the now familiar crash of the waterfall mingled with morning birdsong. Despite the lack of rest he had endured in the last two days, he felt refreshed and energized enough to begin his long journey back to Gizan Village.<p>

He glanced down at the cause of his sleepless night. Iruka had fallen asleep with an arm flung around the Jounin's chest, the younger man's eyes were closed and his breathing was relaxed and even, proving that he was still asleep. Kakashi took a moment to smile faintly at the tranquil expression in the Chuunin's face, then gently moved the arm and rolled off their combined sleeping pallets.

"You're leaving already?" a familiar sleepy voice asked.

The Jounin had only half expected his companion to have awakened from his movements. With his Sharingan eye closed, he turned to smile down at the Chuunin. "I will be back sometime in the afternoon. Pakkun and the rest of the pack will be here to guard the perimeter."

Iruka did not reply, and laid unmoving on the bedroll while Kakashi, who remained naked, walked to the river bank with a strip of cloth to wash the evidence of the previous night from his body. Iruka's eyes roamed all over the Jounin's tall lean form, noting the horrific scars that marred the pale skin in several lethal areas. The bright morning sunlight brought the evidence of the Copy-nin's many battles into terrifying detail. the Chuunin slipped from the pallet and joined the older shinobi by the water. "Are you sure that you want me to stay?" he quietly asked.

"Yes." Kakashi simply replied, his voice brooked no argument as he continued to wash his chest. "I don't want you near the town when it's not necessary, there are still the safety of the village to consider if things get nasty."

"Do we even have a plan?" Iruka's eyes were fixated on a thin scar that ran down the left side of Kakashi's neck to the middle of the shoulder blades, which had meant to slice into his vertebrae.

The Jounin's shoulders shrugged. "Not really at this point. We can't keep you in hiding forever, and right now the best way to form a plan is for me to gather as much information as possible before a confrontation. The old miller is the best source, especially since I've earned a little of his trust after that Akiyuki woman showed up at his door."

Iruka turned away to kneel before the bank. He cupped river water in his hands and splashed it into his face; the shock of cold woke his groggy senses immediately.

"Iruka," Kakashi sighed, sensing the Chuunin's dour mood. "I meant what I said last night that this will be the last time."

"I really hope so," Iruka frowned. "My life has been disrupted enough as it is, and I miss Konoha." He looked up at the Copy-nin, and smiled shyly. "But at least some good things have happened because of it."

"I agree." the Jounin rinsed the cloth, then wrung it and started to wash his lover's back. With the mask removed, he had to hide the lecherous smirk from showing on his face at seeing the blossoming bruise of the love bite he had made on the Chuunin's neck. Perhaps he had been around dogs for too long if he felt an urge to mark his territory, though Iruka meant far more to him than a sexual conquest. In truth, Kakashi would feel more at ease knowing that Iruka was safely tucked away from the enemy's radius, but he would never admit so much in order to avoid wounding the younger man's pride.

After they had finished washing and dressing some minutes later, Iruka was down on his hands and knees besides the dead campfire. He cursed colorfully at the loose hair falling into his eyes as he searched for something small that had been lost the night before.

"Looking for this?" Kakashi appeared before his companion and held up the one remaining elastic hairband.

"Thank the gods you've found it!" Iruka cried and made a grab for hairband, only to see the Jounin's hand close around it. He scowled at the mischievous glint that appeared in the one visible eye on the masked face. "Give it."

"Hmm, I don't think so." Kakashi pulled the band over his right wrist to hide under the fingerless glove. "I would like to hold on to the memory of last night a little longer."

Iruka was touched by the Jounin's words, and found it hard to remain sulky. He stood up with a resigned sigh. "Very well, just don't break or lose it." He looked Kakashi over carefully, knowing that the Jounin was about to leave. "I never thought that you would be the sentimental type."

"Only for those things that are important to me." Kakashi quietly replied, and pressed his cloth covered cheek against bare skin of the Chuunin's. "It will give me a reason to hurry back."

Iruka tugged the mask down and fiercely kissed the exposed lips. Kakashi responded in turn, then they both regretfully pulled away. "Please be careful" Iruka whispered. "I mean it."

"I always am." Kakashi smiled through his adjusted mask, then before Iruka could say more, he disappeared, leaving the Chuunin alone and blinking through a puff of white smoke in his wake.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry to say this, Takahiro-san, but you have been cheated on all those fish." The old rice miller Matsuri chuckled and set two chipped ceramic cups on the worn kitchen table before his companion, who grinned back at the jibe.<p>

"Don't I know it!" Kakashi/Takahiro agreed, and uncorked the sake bottle he had brought and poured Matsuri's cup first. There had been no means for him to preserve the meat he had caught the day before, with the hot summer weather quickly spoiling it. The best he could do was seal the majority of the fish inside an items summoning scroll then deposit them into a stolen basket upon entering the village. Maintaining the illusionary genjutsu of the old man 'Nakayama Takahiro' was proving to be an effective one. He had arrived in Gizan unmolested by unwanted company and had made a brief customary appearance in the village market in a show of trying to sell the fish, and had expectantly failed at doing so.

"Ah well." Takahiro/Kakashi sighed. "I'm sure that the old meat will come in handy for fertilizer in your fields. You can just have the lot since it's worthless as food." He drained the cheap sake, and brushed a few stray drops from the illusionary short grey beard he wore on his face.

"Yes, the fertilizer would be appreciated. It has not been a good year for my crops." Matsuri took a small drink from his own cup. The aged miller studied his companion speculatively over the rim of his cup, as if trying to reach a decision before he spoke again.

"The villagers seem more at ease this morning when I was at the market." Kakashi/Takahiro said as he sipped his drink, noting the strange way the old man was observing him. "Is there a festival coming up? I am not very familiar with this area of the River Country."

"No, there are no festivals here." Matsuri replied, still giving his companion that searching look. "Not since the Hashibara clan was destroyed."

"Hmm? That seems a strange reason to not hold celebrations." Kakashi was glad for the opening. "Especially for an event that happened so long ago."

For a long time Matsuri stared levelly at his companion, his expression unreadable. "Tell me," he said carefully. "Why should I bother saying anything when the person I am speaking to hides behind the mask of another?"

Kakashi coolly eyed the old miller and placed his cup down. "What would make you say that?"

"I have spent my childhood serving a shinobi house, and I know when I am in the presence of a warrior." Matsuri paused to pour more sake in their cups. "Many servants who serve powerful clans are given a little training in order to better protect their masters."

"You seem rather unconcerned." Kakashi observed as he accepted the cup and waited for the old man to take the first sip. As per his routine before meeting Matsuri, the Jounin had secretly performed an illusion disabling jutsu in order to confirm the rice miller's identity. He could sense neither a warrior's aura nor any ill intent from the old man, but remained alert and wary.

Matsuri shrugged. "Call it an old man's intuition, but I sense that you are nothing like those shinobi thugs who rule this town. Anyone who works for Kanzaka would not make the effort to earn my friendship and trust when looking for information...when it would be just as effective to torture me-or my family."

"You have a point there." Kakashi agreed and discreetly scratched under his black eyepatch to verify with his Sharingan that the old man really was not an imposter and found nothing to prove otherwise. "How did you know?" he asked, honestly curious.

"It took me a while to figure it out" Matsuri admitted. "Your illusion technique is superb, but a little more work is needed at using less grace in your movements while masquerading as an old man, Takahiro-san—if that is really your name." He gave the Jounin a long hard look. "And I also could not help but notice how you have been attempting to pump me for information on the Hashibara clan. Please enlighten me. Why would an outsider shinobi go through such trouble to dig up an old tragedy in a backwater town such as this?"

"I cannot say." Kakashi stiffly replied.

"Hmph. I figured as much."

"I am assuming," Kakashi continued, his hard tone reaffirmed his dominance in the conversation. "That the shinobi clan you had once served was the Hashibara family."

Matsuri bowed his head in defeat, knowing that he had little choice in the matter. The Old miller had the safety of his family to consider if he continued to evade the strange shinobi's questions; he might become hostile. "You see, my family had once proudly served the Hashibara clan for many generations" he started while pouring a generous amount of sake into the two half-filled cups. "The family belonged to a distant branch of nobility, but they were never the types to get too high and mighty among the villagers they oversaw. My cousin even married a member, and I myself was a playmate of the children at the time." The old rice miller pushed the filled cup towards his interrogator.

Kakashi made no move to accept it. "When did it all start?"

"It all began when young Minako disappeared" Matsuri stated after a few contemplative moments of sipping his drink. "Yasunori-sama, who was her father and head of the Hashibara clan, was a great warrior during the First Shinobi War. All of the neighboring countries' shinobi factions were quite new and unsteady at the time, and in the aftermath many established clan houses were greatly weakened or destroyed. The Hashibara house was an exception, for Yasunori-sama and the elder members were sufficient enough warriors to represent their clan, and were able to spare the young from participating. He ordered many of the younger generation—including his own two children—to defend Gizan while he was away in order for them to retain a small degree of their innocence."

Kakashi could understand a father's reluctance on including his children to fight in that war. The First Shinobi War had yet to establish a basis for many forbidden ninjutsus, and several- including the then commonly used justus to resurrect the dead, were among the more heinous atrocities committed during those terrible battles.

"Of course," Matsuri continued. "In doing so many of the younger members of the clan felt jilted at their chance to fight, and Yasunori-sama's elder daughter Minako had just turned sixteen and was eager to prove her abilities. She was not all that bad apart from being head strong and stubborn; I remember Minako being a kind and gentle girl with a smile as bright as the sun and a fiery temper to match if you rubbed her the wrong way."

_'She definitely sounds like Iruka's family.'_Kakashi thought wryly.

"Her younger brother Torichi and I were of a similar age, though he was less skilled than his sister and of a milder temperament. When her father returned after the war ended, both he and I were present for a very heated argument between the two, and Minako ran off that night to never return." The old miller shook his head sadly. "Being cooped up in a peaceful village during a war of that magnitude was extremely frustrating for the younger members of the clan. None of them could truly comprehend the horrors that real war provided."

Kakashi readily agreed at that, as testament to his own self-hardening experience during the Third Shinobi War.

Matsuri stared down at his cup; the late afternoon sunlight that filtered through the cracked windows greatly outlined his worn face. "Yasunori-sama went to fetch her back in the morning, but returned alone a few days later a different man. Something terrible had happened to his beloved daughter, and though he would never speak of the particulars everyone knew regardless that she was dead." His grey eyes looked up at his solemn companion. "The Hashibara house, which was once a haven during the war as a place filled with light and laughter, was diminished forever. Minako was the source of that light and once she was gone so was Yasunori-sama's spirit. And two years after that, everyone in the clan was dead."

"What happened?" Kakashi asked.

Matsuri hesitated in answering, and looked away.

"Please, I need to know." The Jounin pressed, his request now almost a plea. He was too close to obtaining the answers he needed to allow the old man to stop.

The rice miller sighed wearily. "On that night all of the staff residing in the mansion was killed, and the clan members were either slaughtered or were fortunate enough to escape-judging by the missing bodies. My mother and sister died, but my aunt Yumiko was the only servant to escape with her life." Matsuri's eyes glazed over in memory. "She came to this very house terrified out of her wits and clutching the dead infant she had been entrusted with." The old miller's grip on the ceramic cup tightened. "From what we were able to gather, Yumiko was able to hide by cowering in a closet, but through the door she saw the servants, spouses and visiting friends attack any of the Hashibara blood. She had seen my own mother become stricken with a terrible look in her eyes and sliced a child's throat with a kitchen knife. Yumiko claimed to have not witnessed any intruders during the attack, and described the slaughter like a nightmare…committed by a vengeful demon that possessed innocents to exact its wrath."

An involuntary shudder shook the old man's thin frame. "Of course the shinobi trained members retaliated during the attack, but whatever the affliction was, it passed one-by-one to the next victim as soon as they were killed. Any who hesitated were immediately cut down. The elderly, the children, and even the infants were not spared. Yasunori-sama would not defend himself against his own wife who was not of the Hashibara blood, and was murdered by her own hand. The poor woman took her own life shortly after that. This was all made obvious when my father and some of the villagers searched the house and discovered the bodies."

Kakashi briefly considered this new information while the old miller took several long drinks from his ceramic cup. Whatever technique it was that destroyed the Hashibara clan, it was somehow flawed and could not be used against any who possessed the family's blood. His thoughts snapped back into attention when Matsuri seemed ready to continue.

"My aunt disappeared the next day shortly after we buried the infant. We later found her body up north at the border of our rice fields. Yumiko had stabbed herself through the heart. I can't help but wonder if whatever curse or enemy that had infiltrated the Hashibara estate had caught up to her, and her death did not result in a convenient suicide." Matsuri pushed his drink away, an angry look darkened his face. "Shortly thereafter, Kanzaka Masao appeared with a shinobi acting as a bodyguard and started demanding payment for his 'protection.' Ever since, Gizan Village has been under that brute's thumb." The old man rubbed his lame leg. "Any who opposed his taxes were dealt severely by his thugs. He controls not only the village's revenue but also any outgoing messages that the townspeople might try to send to the River Council for help. We are a town under siege in friendly territory, and we have long lost the will to fight back."

"Hmm." Kakashi mulled over what he heard. The history behind Iruka's family-though fascinating-hardly provided any clues to defeat their current foe, and only proved that it was a technique capable enough to destroy an entire shinobi clan (no less one which included a few veterans from the First War) The details surrounding the 'Hashibara Curse' coincided with Iruka's recent assassination attempts, and confirmed the last of the Jounin's speculation on the two methods being one and the same. The evidence was even more damning since the two incidents shared the strange similarity of the family's bloodline being immune to becoming possessed. The sudden appearance of the criminal boss Kanzaka after the clan's slaughter all but pointed a finger at him being the culprit. "What can you tell me of this Kanzaka fellow?"

"Kanzaka Masao is a cripple, and always had been since he arrived." Matsuri explained. "The Kanzaka clan were once powerful shinobi before the First War, though disreputable ones at that. It was whispered that the family once possessed a terrible power which guaranteed victory in battle, but it proved to be nothing but a myth based on what little good it did for them in the end. They were all wiped out with the exception of a few unruly brats that survived the First War, and the handful of young Kanzaka clan members were driven out of whatever village they visited. They were always causing trouble-thieving, raping, and murdering and the like. They were a product of the war's brutality after all."

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement. It was not unusual for groups of young shinobi who lacked the bounds of family or loyalty to become dangerous criminals. It was every country's responsibility to remove such threats, but with a major war occurring it was understandable for a few to escape unnoticed among the chaos.

Matsuri's mouth twitched in a slight show of disgust. "The brats feared the power of the Hashibara clan and didn't dare enter Gizan while they were around. Based on what a traveler told my father, they instead kept to themselves at an old shrine that their family once maintained, and preyed on unsuspecting travelers. We villagers had all but forgotten about the Kanzaka clan until Masao turned up after Yasunoiri-sama's family was destroyed. There he was, a boy of no more than fifteen bound to a wheelchair and accompanied by a young blind shinobi as his bodyguard. Anyone could tell that Kanzaka Masao was the most dangerous of the pair, as crippled as he was. We had little choice but to obey his demands."

"What of the rest of the Kanzaka clan?" Kakashi questioned. "Are they with Masao?"

Matsuri shook his head. "We have never seen them. I assume that they had either died or wandered off long ago. But for all we know they are still holed up in that old shrine by Habiki Falls in the valley."

Kakashi felt his muscles stiffen with apprehension. "Habiki Falls? Where exactly is that?"

"It is the largest waterfall in the north end of the valley." Matsuri shrugged. "It's located in a remote area where few dare to travel, and is still a dangerous place if any of the Kanzaka ilk are living there. The shrine is deep in the forest a good distance away from the top of the falls-or so I've been told. I suspect that is where Masao visits when he occasionally leaves town. You've seen the villagers this morning, everyone is more at ease whenever Kanzaka and his gang are gone."

Kakashi stood up abruptly, he tried his best to not let the alarm show on his face. Matsuri's description of the falls matched the location he and Iruka had camped at, and every particle in the Jounin's being screamed with alarm and urged for him to head back. "I must leave."

Matsuri's eyes become wide with fright. "What? Do you intend to seek the shrine?" he cried. "You don't want to go there, it's a cursed place!"

"I apologize for the inconvenience I caused you, Matsuri-san" Kakashi gave the old man a stiff bow and turned away.

"Shinobi!"

The Jounin paused. He did not turn to face Matsuri when the rice miller's words filled the room.

"You being here, asking all these questions..." Matsuri's voice shook as it fell to a hoarse whisper. "Does this mean some of the Hashibara family survived?"

"I cannot say." Kakashi replied flatly. "I must go."

Matsuri watched the shinobi's disguised form disappear into a puff of smoke. When the room finally cleared he found himself alone. The miller wiped his eyes with one hand, and discovered a few unbidden tears had trickled down his wizened cheeks. He could not remember the last time when he had dared to hope, but hope he did. The old man rested his forehead on his cane, and prayed for the strange shinobi's safety.

* * *

><p>"Iruka! They are coming!" Pakkun cried as he shot out from the forest. "We must leave now!"<p>

The Chuunin dropped the dry kindling that he had been gathering and faced the little nin-dog. "Report!"

"Two enemies, both very strong. They're heading from the northeast and they will arrive in about five minutes."

Iruka gnawed at the bottom of his lip as his mind raced for a strategy suitable for their limited options. "We will run in the opposite direction" he decided. "Summon the pack that are patrolling the south and west areas as we go, the others should be able to slow the enemy down for a bit." He checked the pouch of kunai and paper bombs he had stored in his pouch. "I think we have just enough time to initiate the second plan of defense."

"Roger that boss." Pakkun nodded and leaped towards the trees with the Chuunin quickly following.

_'I will be in serious trouble if they are both Jounin-rank shinobi'_ Iruka thought as they sped through the trees, his loose hair whipped behind his head from under his Hitai-ate. _'I can't outrun them for very long, but I have to buy enough time for Kakashi. I just hope that he's on his way back. If not...'_ he touched the rows of shuriken he had stored in his vest pouch, and his lips curled into a snarl. _'I will show them that I will not die without taking one of them with me!'_

* * *

><p>END OF CHAPTER 7<p> 


	8. The Sensei's Predicament

**Author's Notes:** A huge big fat THANK YOU goes out to my two most awesome Betas **juniperbreezie** and **almost_british** *gives them both virtual cupcakes*

Thank you everyone for reading so far, and please enjoy the ninja violence!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: The Sensei's Predicament<strong>

"Where's Kakashi?" Iruka cried over the shriek of the wind whistling in his ears.

"Far away," Pakkun replied as he darted from one tree branch to another with the Chuunin following close behind. The little nin-dog traveled at a breakneck zig-zag pattern that was similar to a rabbit attempting to outrun a predator in open ground.

"They can track us?" Iruka asked, recognizing the pug's intent to confuse the enemy.

"Yes, and very well" Pakkun responded after a few sniffs. "I don't know what method they are using, but they are following my every move and gaining!" The pug's ears suddenly perked up and he jumped out of the trees to land on the ground. "Uuhei-kun," he stated as the greyhound sprinted into view.

"Where are the other nin-dogs?" Iruka asked as he landed besides Pakkun.

Uuhei shook his head and growled. "Bull and Akino are engaging the enemy; all the others have fallen and returned to our plane" Pakkun translated solemnly.

Iruka cursed inwardly at the news, and then turned to Uuhei. "There's only two, so we'll proceed with the plan on separating their forces. Uuhei?"

Uuhei grunted and stepped forward. Iruka made the proper hand signals over the greyhound. "Transform!" The form of the large nin-dog disappeared into the smoke and was replaced by the guise of the Chuunin. Without missing a beat, Iruka made another set of hand symbols. "Shadow Clones!" Two more duplicates of Iruka appeared next to Uuhei's genjutsu.

The original plan was to use the illusionary technique on several nin-dogs so that they could scatter throughout the woods in hopes that their human forms and multiple chakra energies would confuse the enemy. Though creating shadow clones took a lot out of Iruka's chakra reserves, he was left with few alternate options now that the bulk of the nin-pack was defeated.

Pakkun's nose twitched as he sniffed the air. "Bull is gone. One of the enemies is moving again."

Iruka nodded at his work, and Uuhei and his clones nodded back. At the silent command both nin-dog and the shadow clones separated and sped off in opposite directions. Pakkun bounded into Iruka's arms, who nearly dropped the pug in his surprise. "This way my tracks won't single yours out," he explained.

"Good idea," Iruka muttered as he resumed his run with Pakkun securely tucked in the crook of one arm. "You're heavier than you look," he commented dryly.

"Less talk, more running" Pakkun chided as he again scented the wind. "Akino is gone now, it looks like the female enemy has taken the bait and gone off after Uuhei-kun. He will give her a merry chase through the forest." The little nin-dog stiffened suddenly in Iruka's arms. "This is bad, the other enemy is bearing directly right on our trail-I think both of your clones are attempting to route him."

Iruka's eyes twitched as he felt his spent chakra disperse, and with its disappearance came the knowledge obtained by his clones. His shadow clones were not able to get a good look at the enemy before they were destroyed-other than it was a slender male dressed in black, and a sense that this man was not easily fooled by the tricks. Iruka gritted his teeth upon the realization of the futility of his flight and halted in his tracks.

"What are you doing!" Pakkun demanded and wriggled in the shinobi's arm in agitation. "You can't possibly mean to fight them alone!"

"I don't have the time to argue!" Iruka snapped as he tossed the pug onto the mossy earth. "We'll both be caught anyways at this rate. Find Kakashi, they might leave me alive long enough to interrogate me on his whereabouts. Now go!"

For a moment Pakkun remained rooted to the spot, and then he snorted and reluctantly backed away. "Just don't die" the pug-nin growled before he leapt up into the safety of the trees.

Iruka turned away and made a dash through the forest floor, he no longer bothered to hide his tracks._'Come find me, you bastard.'_The Chuunin thought as he slipped one hand into his kunai pouch for a blade and the other into his vest to grab the paper bombs.

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><p>Iruka did not have to wait long before the enemy caught up to his location. From the darkness of a hallow tree the Chuunin sensed the malicious presence moving above in the dense canopy where the chatter of birds abruptly stilled. He peered through a narrow crack in the wood, and a heartbeat later saw the enemy appear crouching on a broad branch.<p>

The rogue shinobi appeared to be a little older than Iruka, though unkempt and gaunt making him seem aged beyond his years. Shoulder length hair the color of freshly boiled bones hung limply around a thin face; dark circles underlined pale eyes that were alight with the feverish intensity of madness. He wore no Hitai-ate, his only symbol being the kanji character for 'Malice' scrawled messily in red paint over the front of his black tunic.

Iruka held his breath as he watched his foe hesitate as he considered the false tracks the Chuunin had made earlier on the branch. Then the man sniffed the air in an animalistic fashion and giggled. Iruka felt his blood run cold; it was an uneasy sound that reminded him of sharp metal grating against stone.

"Your childish tricks won't work on me!" The rogue-nin cried in a high pitched voice from his perch. "I am called Tohru the Tracker, and I know the stink of Hashibara blood in your veins!" He flung himself from the trees to land on his hands and feet as gracefully as a cat before the Chuunin's hiding spot. Knowing that his location was compromised, Iruka emerged from the hollowed tree to properly face his enemy who stood roughly ten meters away.

The sickly shinobi cocked his head, his pale eyes flickering. "Kanzaka-sama wants me to bring you back alive, I don't know why...he's never asked us to do that before." Tohru spoke as if thinking out loud to himself rather than addressing his opponent. "Always dead, always killed on the spot," the man muttered as he slowly advanced towards Iruka while still remaining on all four limbs, his body contorted in a manner that was completely unnatural.

Unnerved at the sight, Iruka took an involuntary step back. Tohru looked up as if truly seeing Iruka for the first time, his gaze focused on the kunai in the Chuunin's hand. "What Kanzaka-sama doesn't know won't hurt him!" he declared in a sing-song voice, obviously gleeful at the decision. "I really do hope that you know how to play, it has been such a long, long time since I've had one who can put up a fight!"

Iruka did not wait to hear more; he let fly his kunai. Tohru easily dodged the weapon, but failed to spot the shuriken Iruka had palmed underneath; his head jerked back from the impact of the razor sharp weapon imbedding in his face. Iruka's elation of scoring a hit was short lived, Tohru's head snapped back to reveal the shuriken firmly clenched between crooked teeth, blood dripping from where the edges had cut into his lips. "Very nice, very nice." Tohru hissed and slowly rose to his knees before rising to his feet. Iruka's eyes wearily followed the motion, he was a little stunned to see that his enemy stood nearly two heads taller than himself.

Tohru spat the weapon onto the ground. "We can't have too much fun, Hashibara boy. Akiyuki might show up and spoil our game-she's a stickler who loves to follow the rules." The rouge-nin reached into his tunic to pull out a small worn drinking gourd and began to uncork it. Iruka tensed nervously, unsure of what to expect. He suspected that his foe was a Water-type shinobi, an assumption made correct when Tohru quickly gathered chakra into his right arm and then liberally poured the gourd's contents onto his limb.

A small strangled cry caught in Iruka's throat when he saw what poured out from the gourd was definitely not water, but _blood_. Thick, black, old _human_blood that oozed as it escaped the spout of the container. Iruka nearly gagged when he caught a whiff of the horrid substance. It was a thousand times more pungent than the neglected corners and cracks in the floors of the Konoha morgue. Iruka had never smelled anything worse in his life.

"My treasure!" Tohru hummed as the mess of congealed blood spread to cover his right arm and hand to form a long flat shape of a blade. "It started out as pure spring water long ago. This is the blood I have collected over the years from my enemies, most is from you Hashibara rats who deserted their clan to hide amongst the civilians" he chuckled. "You have no idea how eager I am for your shinobi blood. I've grown tired of killing farmers and their shrieking whelps!"

Black rage suddenly gripped the Chuunin at hearing that last statement. No one should _ever_take so much glee in murdering defenseless children. With his resolve hardened and attention fixed on the foul weapon, Iruka carefully drew forth another kunai.

He had barely freed the weapon from his pouch when Tohru made a sudden dash with arms spread wide in a deadly parody of an embrace. Iruka pushed chakra into his legs and jumped high above before the liquid sword could slice into his gut. The hollow tree bore the brunt of Tohru's attack; it shuddered and a spray of dust and splintered wood exploded from the chakra-enforced blade. Tohru yanked his arm free and cast his pale eyes about to spot the Chuunin. The old tree slowly toppled over with a groan, leaving in its wake a shower of branches and leaves scattering to the earth.

High up in the canopy of the forest, Iruka watched the tree fall and waited for his enemy to make the next move. Tohru remained where he was, impassive to the destruction around him. With eyes closed he tilted his head back to sniff the air, and then his eyes snapped open to stare directly in the Chuunin's direction. _'Dammit!'_ Iruka swore as his foe charged him with a mighty leap, the arm sword poised for a strike. Iruka leaped away not a moment too late as he heard the blade cleave the branch in two behind him.

Iruka landed lightly on the ground, and knowing that his enemy would follow he made a dash into a dense cluster of prickly bushes close to where the hollowed tree had fallen. His hands moved in a blur of motion as he summoned three shadow clones, and then silently commanded his doppelgangers to run out into the clearing. _'I only have one shot at this,'_Iruka thought as his looked about, and was satisfied to see that he was in the right area. He felt two of the shadow clones disperse, then heard a cry and was able to move away as the body of the last shadow clone flew into the bushes. The clone disappeared into smoke upon hitting the ground; it had been sliced in two through the middle.

Tohru exploded into the brush following the clone, his massive blade swiping for the Chuunin's head. Iruka was barely able to dodge the lightning-quick attack, his left temple stinging from a shallow cut. He was not fast enough to avoid the follow up, taking a powerful kick in the stomach that sent him flying backwards; bouncing twice over the ground, kunai and shuriken spilling out from his unbuttoned pouch, before crashing into a tree. Iruka cried out as his shoulders collided with the trunk, his vision going white as the back of his head slammed against the hard wood. For a few precious moments he remained dazed and slumped against the tree.

"Khe he he he," Tohru's raspy laughter invaded the ringing in Iruka's ears. "And here I thought you would put up a good fight!" The crazed shinobi slowly advanced through the dense undergrowth, confident that his prey would not be able to escape.

"Get up, get up!" Iruka hissed to himself as he forced his sluggish body to move, and winced at the sharp pain in his left shoulder blade. His vision swam from the mild concussion, the blood dripping into his left eye from his cut temple, making it worse. He could see two versions of Tohru walking towards him as his foe emerged from the dense cluster of bushes, the tip of the long black blade dragging ominously through the earth. Iruka could barely believe his luck as he recognized the clearing where he had landed and fighting down nausea, he narrowed eyes to focus on his enemy's feet, praying that he was targeting the right pair. He inhaled deeply to summon his chakra and then held up his hands. "Barrier Jutsu!"

Black symbols and lines encircled Tohru immediately. The rogue shinobi looked casually about at the ninjutsu surrounding him. "What's this?" he drawled, and then growled in anger upon discovering that he could not move outside the circle. "You arrogant little prick!" Tohru sneered. "I doubt you have the chakra needed to keep me in here for long!"

"I don't intend to keep you prisoner." The corner of Iruka's mouth curled into a self-satisfied smirk as he slowly rose. "I wonder what's hiding under the moss beneath your feet?"

"No fair!" Tohru cried in a voice that was almost petulant as he looked about the ground. "You're just a stupid teacher, you're not supposed to be this good!"

'It's because _I am_ a teacher, you sick fuck!" Iruka snarled. "I teach children how to set traps every day, so of course I know what I'm doing!" He brushed aside a strand of his loose hair from his face, and held up two fingers of his right hand. "Release!"

In the hopes of trapping his enemy within range of at least one, Iruka had buried several bombs in the clearing. Luck was on his side, as one exploded directly under Tohru's left foot. Iruka shielded his eyes against the flying dirt and debris. Through the acrid smoke he could see the form of Tohru's body splayed against the earth. Iruka cursed, seeing that the position of the paper bomb's explosion had been too weak to be fatal.

"GYAAAAH! MY LEG! YOU TOOK MY LEG, YOU FUCKER!" Tohru shrieked, his body writhing while the stump of his left leg spurted blood. The black mass that once held the form of his deadly weapon now dripped off the rogue shinobi's arm in its natural state; the dark, old blood of countless victims seeped into the ground in a large pool intermingled with the bright red from the severed leg. Tohru twisted his body to stare directly into Iruka's eyes. "I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS YOU SHIT!" he screamed, his face contorted with rage.

Iruka could only gape stupidly at Tohru and the gore that covered the smoking terrain before his muddled brain kicked back into motion. He reached into his pouch for a weapon and then realized that it was empty. Knowing that he had no other option, he ran up behind Tohru to break his enemy's neck. He had done the motion a thousand times before in the classroom, but it was the first time he had to put the practice to use. His arms tightened around his enemy's shoulders and neck in the proper hold. Tohru garbled curses and tried to claw and bite at Iruka's arms. With a burst of chakra, Iruka twisted until he heard the sickening scrape, then snap of vertebrae ring into his ears.

Tohru's body went limp and his screams ceased instantly, the sudden silence was almost deafening in the still clearing. Iruka released his hold then pushed the corpse away to drop heavily onto the earth. His arms tingled where he had felt the vibration of the killing break. Iruka breathed heavily as he stood up. He had taken the lives of enemies before but never at such a close range, and never with an enemy who had looked at him with such murderous contempt before death.

With a shudder that had little to do with strain, Iruka forced his mind back to the task at hand and searched Tohru's body for weapons, finding two shuriken and one kunai. He pocketed the weapons into his pouch, and then dispelled the barrier ninjutsu. Eager to get moving, he spun around to get his bearings and nearly vomited at the motion; he had yet to recover from the blow in the back of his head. _'Not good,' _Iruka gritted his teeth against the nausea as he bent over with hands on his knees and waited for the ground to stop spinning.

If Pakkun's information was correct, then he still had one other enemy to face. The kunoichi would have been sure to have seen through Uuhei's genjutsu by now, and be alerted by the noise of the explosions. Iruka knew that he would not survive another battle with his current injuries._ 'If I can just make it across the river…' _Iruka thought as he straightened and forced his legs into a steady walk._ 'I doubt that I can manage walking across water right now, but I have to try!'_ His pace quickly turned into a headlong run in the direction that he had marked as west. As long as he could keep moving, then he still had a chance to find Kakashi...

Iruka stumbled when his left foot sank through something sticky and wet. He grunted in surprise and managed to twist his torso in order to land on his uninjured shoulder. He tried to pull his foot out of the mud and found it stuck. _'Shit! A stupid ninjutsu trap!'_ If Iruka had been more focused he would have been able to avoid it. Being as it was he had little spare chakra to free himself-but now he had little choice in the matter. Summoning up the chakra he needed made his pounding head swim, he concentrated the energy to form in his foot and then kicked out until he was free. The trap was a basic one designed to slow the ensnared shinobi down and force them to waste their chakra, and it had done its job well.

Scrambling to his feet, Iruka was about to resume his escape when he spotted a woman coolly watching him from a wide tree, her arms folded in apparent boredom. Iruka skidded backwards and pulled his remaining kunai from his pouch, taking a defensive stance, and noting that his hands shook a little from the effort.

The kunoichi flipped her long coppery dreadlocks over one shoulder in a display of being unconcerned. Iruka had a vague impression that Kakashi had mentioned meeting this woman before. "You put up a good fight for a two-bit Chuunin that teaches brats" she declared in a gravelly voice as she regarded Iruka with disdain. "Tohru was a fool to underestimate his opponent; you _are_ one of the Hashibara clan after all."

_'Now's my chance!'_ Iruka saw an opening in the kunoichi's defense and rushed to attack-or at least tried to. He fell flat on his face the moment he moved, his feet were cemented firmly into the ground.

"Oh, _please_." Akiyuki chuckled as she leaped forward to snatch the kunai from Iruka before he could recover from his fall; his body sluggish to react due to his head injury that reverberated with renewed pain from the shock of hitting the hard ground. "Earth ninjutstu is my specialty," the kunoichi purred, the sound made the hair on Iruka's scalp stand up. He remained very still as she lightly dragged the tip of the kunai across the back of his neck, as if she were a lover idly tracing her fingers across his skin. Out of the corner of his blurred vision, Iruka could see that same feverish madness alight in her green eyes that had possessed Tohru. The insanity was far more restrained, but present nonetheless.

Akiyuki sighed. "What a bother. It would be so much more convenient to kill you now, but orders are orders!" She deftly flipped the kunai over and used the blunt ring-end to strike the nerve bundle at the base of Iruka's skull.

Iruka felt the shock of the blow. The last conscious thought that flew through his mind was of Kakashi standing by the river bank, his mask pulled slightly in a smile as he tugged the elastic hairband around his wrist—and then everything went empty and black.

* * *

><p>Dread gripped Kakashi's heart as they neared a section of the forest where an intense battle had taken place. The Jounin did not need to see the evidence of the fight to know its outcome-the scent of death tainted the air. '<em>No, please not him...' <em>His sharp nose could clearly smell the metallic tang of fresh blood and the charred remains of burnt flesh. Kakashi had to rely on all his years as a battle-hardened shinobi to push aside his emotions and concentrate on the here-and-now of his surroundings. "Anyone here?" he whispered to Pakkun as they cautiously entered the clearing.

"There's one dead body." Pakkun sniffed and trotted towards the location of the corpse. "It's not Iruka."

Relief washed over Kakashi upon hearing the news. _'I haven't failed him yet'_ he thought as he followed the nin-dog. The Jounin silently regarded Tohru's broken body, and then quickly dismissed it to focus on the area surrounding the corpse. He pulled away his Hitai-ate to observe the visible tracks with his Sharingan. The ghostly images of the battle played before his eye, and he could see in vivid detail the botched explosion of Iruka's trap and the inevitable deathblow the Chuunin had dealt to break his enemy's neck. He could tell that Iruka had been injured and disoriented after the fight, based on the unsteady and dragging pattern of his footprints-a head wound possibly-but all trace of his progress had been cut short after he had fallen to the ground a few meters away from the location of the dead shinobi. All the tracks afterwards had been carefully erased.

"Boss!" Pakkun cried and nosed at Tohru's mangled remains. Iruka's Leaf Hitai-ate had been neatly folded and placed into the corpse's left hand.

The Copy-nin covered his Sharingan and stooped to slip the headband out from the dead man's grasp, knowing that Iruka's Hitai-ate had been intentionally left for him to find. The message was clear: _We have Iruka, come find him if you can._ A small flicker of hope kindled in Kakashi's chest. Iruka could still be alive. His grip on the Hitai-ate tightened before he pocketed it. He turned to face the waiting nin-dog.

"Right on it," Pakkun responded to the unspoken order and began to sniff the ground.

Kakashi waited silently for the pug-nin to pick up the trail. He had absolute faith that Pakkun would eventually find it. He no longer allowed himself to think about Iruka, and with an effort he buried the Chuunin's scarred, smiling face along with the memory of the last lingering kiss they had shared earlier that morning. Doing so helped squash the last of his fears, until only Kakashi's carefully leashed rage remained as an incentive for him to vanquish his enemies. A slow feral smile tugged the corners of the Jounin's mouth. No matter what he found at the Kanzaka hideout, the floors would soon be soaked in his enemy's blood…and Iruka would either be rescued or avenged.

This, Hatake 'Sharingan' Kakashi vowed.

* * *

><p><strong>END OF CHAPTER 8<strong>


	9. A Tragedy of Two Clans

**Author's Notes:** Thank you for Beta'ing this beast of a chapter **juniperbreezie **(I just realized the wordcount is over 8200+ O_O;) thank you for all your hard work!

Thank you everyone for reading so far! ^^

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><p><em><strong>"Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong"<strong>__  
>German Proverb<em>

**Chapter 9. A Tragedy of Two Clans**

***Scritch Scritch***

The scrapping grated at Iruka's ears. Still half conscious, he rolled over in a feeble attempt to blot out the noise. Then with a start he remembered the battle with Tohru and his capture by Akiyuki. Iruka's eyes snapped opened to only see the black of utter darkness. _~'Where am I?'~_ He propped himself onto his elbows and peered about his surroundings. _~'Is this a prison cell?'~_

***Scritch Scritch***

The distant glow of a tiny flame penetrated the dark. Iruka slowly rose to his feet and cautiously made his way to investigate, his bare feet made no sound on the smooth wooden floor. His body moved fluidly and unhampered by injury. Iruka assumed that he must have been healed by a medical-nin while unconscious, most likely in preparation for torture by his sadistic captors.

***Scritch Scritch***

As Iruka approached the point of light, he could make out the form of a young boy hunched over an oil lamp, his back turned to the Chuunin. _~"Hello?"~_ Iruka quietly called, he could see that the scraping sound was from the boy sharpening a set of shuriken on a whetstone. The child gave no indication of hearing and continued with his task. _~"Hey!" ~_ Iruka's uneasiness was smothered by his growing irritation. When he again did not turn, Iruka rounded around the boy to get his attention. _~"I'm talking to you!"~_

The boy's face was bowed and hidden by dark bangs. As soon as Iruka saw the detail of his calloused oil-slicked fingers gripping the shuriken over the whetstone, the room erupted into full illumination. Iruka blinked at the sudden brightness of lamps and candles, and once his eyes adjusted he found himself standing inside the main hall of a large indoor shrine. The building was old and unkempt, the floors stained and dirty. Dust and cobwebs covered every possible surface. The musty odor of mildew permeated much of the neglected shrine.

_~"What is this place?"~_ Iruka spun around to face the boy, who audibly sniffed and used the sleeve of one arm to wipe his nose; his eyes remained focused on the weapon in his hand. More than a little unnerved by his surroundings and now furious at being continuously ignored, Iruka knelt down in front of the boy. _~"Why won't you answer me?" ~_ he demanded and reached out to shake the boy's arm—-and yelped in alarm to see his hand pass through the child as if he was made of mist. Iruka had to catch himself before he lost his balance. He stared dumbly at his hands; they looked and felt solid enough. _~'Am I in a genjutsu illusion?'~_He suspiciously looked up to study his companion, who still gave no indication that Iruka existed.

The boy's features were broad and still held the baby-fat of a child; Iruka guessed that he was probably no more than thirteen years of age. The pale flesh of an old scar ran across the right side of a cheek to the lopped-off tip of an ear. Dark brown eyes were partially hidden by the overgrown bangs of his short black hair. He wore the standard uniform of a shinobi, a short dark grey tunic that was heavily patched and mended. Loose black pants cropped below the knees showed two filthy and scarred feet poking out under his folded legs. Iruka had the impression that despite the boy's youthful appearance, he was an accomplished and dangerous warrior.

_~"Why trap me in this genjutsu?"~_Iruka asked himself as he explored the room. The main hall of the shrine stood around a hundred paces from either wall, the roof was tall and spacious, wide beams disappeared into the dark shadows where lamplight could not penetrate. Iruka could see the glint of tiny red eyes moving about the woodwork as rodents scurried above the unclean rafters. On the other side of the room sat a small shrine built into the wall, it contained a statue of an animal deity Iruka did not recognize, and sat as dusty and neglected as the rest of the building. A single red candle was left unlit in front of the statue.

Iruka walked to one of the two wide uncovered windows where he could feel a breeze wafting through. It was a cold night. Moonlight filtered through the canopy of the surrounding forest, with gently swaying branches made bare by late autumn weather. Iruka tentatively held out a hand to pass outside and was not surprised to see his attempt blocked by an invisible barrier that did not extend beyond the windowsill. He shook his head in bewilderment. The layers of unnecessary details and subtle smells about this world-down to the warm scent of heated lamp oil and distant rot of autumn leaves-made his surroundings seem far too elaborate and realistic to be an illusion. Iruka firmly pinched himself on the cheek, and winced at the pain. If it was not a genjutsu or a dream, he did not want to even consider the alternative. But even if he was a ghost trapped in the world of the living—then why this place? Iruka had never seen the boy or the decrepit building before in his life. He had no reason to haunt this place.

Both Iruka and the boy looked up sharply at the tinkling of tiny bells ringing high above in the ceiling. Iruka recognized the sound as a tripwire alarm of some sort, likely set to warn against intruders approaching the shrine.

"Hello? Is anybody home?" The voice of a young woman called outside the main door.

The boy hastily pushed aside his equipment and scrambled to his feet. "Just a minute!" he called, sounding painfully young to Iruka's ears. He curiously followed the child to the main door, who then proceeded to unhook the simple rope latch and tug at the handle. The doors creaked open to reveal the silhouette of a girl with long hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

"Thank the Gods! I didn't think I would find anyone so far out in these mountains!" The young woman bowed her head in gratitude and stepped into the light. Iruka did a violent double take, and felt his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. _~"Mom!"~_

No, she was definitely not his mother. The girl was far too young and her features were fine and long of bone, her honey colored hair shone bright in the dim lamplight. Iruka's mother had a more rounded face inherited by his grandmother, and possessed dark brunette hair the same as his own. But the eyes…the strange girl's bright brown eyes mirrored that of his dead mother—and his own whenever Iruka gazed at his own reflection. Iruka shivered, the maiden's resemblance was almost frightening.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I was hoping to pay for shelter for the night." The girl explained, and then blinked down at the boy. "Are you the only person here?" she asked.

"No, my brothers are gone." The boy gruffly replied, and inclined his head towards the main hall. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, please!" The girl grinned and bounded into the room. Iruka's heart twisted at the sight, it was the ghost of a smile that graced his childhood memories. The stranger toed off her sandals and lightly stepped into the main room of the indoor shrine. "Hmm, this place is quite old…" she commented tactfully about the unclean surroundings.

"Yeah, well…my brothers and I have been gone for many years. We just got back." The young boy suspiciously glanced outside before shutting the massive wood door. "Are you alone?"

"My, aren't you nosey?" The girl's reply was light and teasing. She shrugged off her wide traveling pack onto the floor and then stretched her shoulders with a sigh of relief. She wore an unadorned short blue winter kimono that was standard with kunoichi women, and long woolen black pants and white tabi socks to protect her toes from the chill of the season. "But yes, I am alone." She ran her fingers through her long tresses and readjusted the white silk ribbon that bound her hair.

"Oh, um…good." The young boy looked perplexed, as if unsure of how to handle himself alone with a stranger.

One of the maiden's eyebrows rose speculatively at her companion "You don't meet very many people out here, do you?" The boy shook his head in answer. "Well then, let me introduce myself." The girl's smile was bright as she formally bowed before her host. "My name is Hashibara Minako, what's yours?"

_~'Hashibara!'~_Iruka blinked.

"Kanzaka Masao." The boy frowned and hesitated before bowing back, as if the custom of a formal greeting was an unfamiliar one.

Iruka's mind reeled at hearing both his grandfather's family name and that of the enemy who hunted . _~'What the hell is going on here?'~_

"So, Masao-kun," Minako started as she rifled through her pack. "Do you have a place where I can brew some tea? I didn't realize how cold it can get in the valley."

Masao had started at the suffix attached to his name; his reaction went unnoticed by his companion. "Uh, sure. I'll go get it." He mumbled, and briskly walked past Minako.

Iruka was so enraptured by the profile of the maiden that he nearly missed seeing Masao disappear into a back room. Something in his gut warned him to investigate, and he reluctantly followed the boy's path and patiently waited for him to reemerge. Iruka heard the sounds of heavy items clattering to the floor followed by some muffled cursing, and in a few moments Masao slid open the door. Iruka's eyes widened in horror at what he glimpsed in the small room before the door was closed; a huge mess of opened bags, spilled food, coins, tools, weapons and clothing were thrown about as if a pack of scavenger dogs had torn through the worldly possessions of countless hapless travelers. _~'This boy is a bandit.'~_Iruka realized with mounting dread, and turned in fear to see both Masao and Minako settled comfortably on cushions on the floor beside the dusty shrine, a small portable brazier and kettle between them.

"I have some leaves that my mother grew in her garden that I'd like to share with you," Minako said as she pulled out two cups from her pack and placed one before Masao, who stared dumbly down at it. "It hasn't been a very good season for growing tea, but I'm sure you'd like it."

"Thanks." The boy muttered, and glanced nervously at the main door.

_~'He's waiting for his brothers to return.'~_ Iruka realized with a start, and before he could think he ran up to Minako. _~"Get out of here! This place is dangerous!"~_ He tried to shake her shoulders to get her attention. His fingers passed through her as if she were made of smoke, and his desperate cries went unheeded and the girl remained oblivious of the danger lurking about the shrine. Iruka pounded the floor with his fists in frustration, but that sound too went unheard by the children. _~"Please hear me!"~_He begged.

"You're awfully shy, aren't you?" Minako gave the boy a sidelong glance as she unscrewed a tea canister and carefully tipped a generous portion of dried leaves into the teapot.

Masao shrugged his shoulders in answer.

"Are those yours?" Minako gestured to the small pile of discarded shuriken Masao had been sharpening. "May I?" Masao looked confused, but nodded his consent. Minako selected one and carefully held it up with two fingers. "Hmm, the balance is just right," she observed after a few moments. "These are pretty good, but they can't be left soaking in oil for too long; otherwise the edges will become dull."

"You know how to use them?" Masao looked up in surprise.

"Of course!" Minako flashed a grin at the young boy. "I'm training to be a great shinobi warrior, after all!" Her smile faltered into a frown. "At least, I'm trying to. My pig-headed father wouldn't let me leave the village to fight during the war, you see." She sighed. "That's why I'm traveling to the River Council to offer my service; our country needs fighters to help protect our borders in case trouble starts again. Everyone knows that our defense resources are strained enough as it is."

"Why would you want to do that?" Masao stared glumly at the steaming kettle over the brazier. "I fought in the war for as long as I could remember. Almost all of my family was killed because of it."

"Oh! " Minako held a hand to her lips in shock. "You poor thing!"

"It's alright." Masao shrugged. "My brothers and I were able to escape. No one can force us to fight any stupid wars out here in the mountains."

"I see…" Minako looked unsure at the statement, and busied herself by pouring the boiling water into the teapot. "I'm sorry to hear that you've lost so much. Wars are terrible things."

"Then why do you want to go?" Masao demanded, his voice rising bitterly. "You will just get yourself killed!"

"It's because I am a shinobi." Minako replied matter-of-factly as she stirred the tea leaves in the pot, she seemed unaffected by the boy's outburst. "And it is my duty." She cocked her head as she studied the confused boy. "You remind me a bit of my brother Torichi back home, he's about the same age as you, and just as understanding as you are about my decision. I told Torichi that I was leaving because I love him and all of my family, and I want to do what I can to protect them. I'm sure that is why your family joined in the war in the first place, to protect the country they love and everyone in it."

Masao looked down and shook his head sadly at Minako's words.

Iruka's ears had perked at the mention of Minako's younger brother. _~"Hashibara Torichi is her brother? Then that would mean that she is Grandfather Hashi's sister."~_ He studied the maiden with renewed interest, realizing that he was observing his great-aunt. _~'So this is the past I'm seeing.'~_It was a relief to know that he was not a ghost, but the revelation did not offer any clues to release him from this strange vision. Iruka watched as Minako suddenly held out a hand to the young bandit before her.

Masao flinched when Minako's hand reached out to pat his head. He looked up in surprise to see Minako smiling warmly at him, her eyes held a depth of compassion and sympathy that contradicted her years as she comforted the boy. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Her voice was almost motherly as she gently stoked the boy's hair. "You need to understand that I have to do this for my family. I'm sure you and your brothers would do the same to protect you."

The change over Masao was almost instantaneous under Minako's touch. A small sob struggled to escape his throat, and his thin frame shook as the boy fought against tears.

Iruka was all too familiar with the emotions on the boy's face; it was one of a child who craved the attention of love and of one who dearly missed his mother. Iruka's hands trembled as he watched the eerie scene of the maiden who possessed his mother's eyes comforting the battle hardened child, and felt the orphaned boy inside himself crave to feel her gentle touch.

The quiet moment was shattered by Masao stilling Minako's hand. His face was hard as stone as he stared determinedly into her startled brown eyes. "You need to leave."

"Huh?" Minako tried to pull her arm away and gave the boy a quizzical look when he did not release his hold. "What do you mean leave? I just got here."

"You need to leave _now."_Masao jumped up to drag Minako to her feet, a tendril of fear had crept into his urgent tone. "Please, my brothers will be back any minute now, and they will kill you if they find you here!"

Minako's eyes widened. "B-but what do you mean kill me?"

"I don't have time to explain!" Masao hissed as he dumped the two teacups and stashed the utensils back into Minako's bag along with the tea canister, then ran to grab her sandals by the door. "We are deserters from the war. My older brothers kill all lone travelers who pass by our woods." He shoved the items into Minako's arms and then roughly pushed her towards the east window. "If you go out the back and then follow the river down to the waterfall they won't find you, just be quiet while you run. And stay away from the trails!"

"You're serious!" Minako stared in open shock at the boy. "But why are you doing this for me?"

Masao hesitated before speaking. "No one's been so nice to me since my mother died when I was little," he said awkwardly. "I almost forgot what it was like for someone to care."

For a few tense moments, both maiden and boy stared at each other. Then Minako held out a hand to cup the boy's cheek, where a solitary tear had fallen. "You can come with me and be away from your brothers." She offered.

"No." Masao shook his head vehemently. "My brothers are bullies, and I'm used to how they treat me. But they're the only family I've got and I can't leave them." The young boy's face pulled in sorrow, obviously tempted by the chance to escape his violent life. He gripped Minako's hands and looked into her eyes, his own pleading. "Please, go!" he begged.

Minako reluctantly drew back, her eyes sad. "Thank you, Masao." She sprinted lightly towards the window, her movements as graceful as any kunoichi. The tip of her long hair disappeared over the windowsill, and then she was gone.

Masao sniffed and wiped away his tears on his rough sleeve. Iruka could not help but feel for the boy, a child warrior who was denied a normal life with a loving family or the innocence of youth-another casualty of war. _~'Kakashi could have turned out just like that~_Iruka dully realized, then regretted thinking about the Jounin. His heart ached with worry. Would he ever see Kakashi again? Or would he remain trapped in this world, forever a spectator of events long gone by? Iruka leaned heavily against the wall and allowed his body to slowly slide to the floor, he was trying his hardest not to let despair overwhelm him.

The small shrine caught his attention; he turned his head to get a better look at the ceramic statue that sat inside, and furrowed his eyebrows at what he saw. The deity was definitely something that he did not recognize. It was painted white and possessed the sleek body of a large feline and the head of a feral dog; its mouth pulled back in a ferocious snarl that showed rows of sharp teeth, red paint tipped the edges of its fangs. It resembled a demon more than a god. The sight of the statue did little to calm Iruka's nerves. _~'What kind of people are they that would worship something like that?'~_He wondered.

* * *

><p>Iruka was startled awake from a fitful doze by the loud crack of the main doors flying open. He leaped to his feet and instinctually reached for a weapon that did not exist. He had not realized that he had fallen asleep against the wall. From the corner of one eye, he noticed Masao emerge from the back room and look nervously about.<p>

"Hey Masao!" the silhouette of a tall man called before entering the building. "You got anything ready to eat? I'm starving!"

"Get your own damn food Kenbei. I ain't your fuckin' nursemaid!" Masao growled, his hostile tone startled Iruka from his first impression of the agitated boy.

Kenbei laughed at the reply and stepped up the entryway, he did not bother to take his shoes off. He appeared to be in his late teens, and shared Masao's same broad features complete with similar short scraggly black hair. Several long knives were strapped to the front of the black uniform. main hall.

"Take your shoes off." A dangerous voice growled before its speaker entered the building. It was another of Masao's family; a man who was well set in his late twenties. He had an air of authority about him that gave the impression that he was the undisputable leader of his family. He was lean and powerfully built with two long swords strapped to his back; the well worn handles that poked out from long black hair gave evidence that the man was skilled with his weapons. His dark eyes glared at Kenbei. "Show more respect in the shrine of our ancestors."

"So our honorable eldest commands!" Kenbei scoffed. Despite the show of bravado, Iruka noted how the younger brother hastily kicked off his shoes. "I don't recall you ever bothering to wipe your feet before entering this dump," he sneered.

"Did you find anything today, Shuichi-san?" Masao interjected to change the conversation when his eldest brother fingered the pommel of one of his two swords.

Shuichi turned to his youngest sibling and gave him a predatory smile. "It's a shame you weren't able to join our hunt today, little brother. We were about to give up and go home empty handed when I came across a little bird hiding in the bushes." Shuichi turned to the darkness beyond the door. "Oi, Azano! Bring her in!"

Another man entered the main hallway. He was the most muscled bound of all the brothers, and also the one with the least resemblance to the three. He was heavily scarred with short spiky dark brown hair, and studded knuckledusters were attached to his hands. A rolled blanket was thrown across his broad shoulders; it was wrapped around the unmistakable form of a small body. Iruka felt his stomach turn into knots when he recognized the tips of honey-colored hair poking out from one end. _~'Oh no…'~_

Azano grunted and tossed his burden carelessly onto the floor while gripping one end of the blanket to free its contents. Iruka sank to his knees, he was finding it hard to breathe, and he could not tear his eyes away as Minako's lifeless body rolled out to land in a crumpled heap. Long strands of her hair had spilled from the white silk ribbon to cover her face. Her skin possessed the sickly yellowish hue of the freshly dead.

"This fuckin' bitch cut my arm!" Kenbei snarled and viciously kicked Minako's limp body. Her head lolled to the side at the action, causing the hair to fall away and her fixed eyes to stare directly at Iruka. Her face was contorted into a mixture of fear and agony, the dried tracks of tears still clung to her cheeks. Her once fine clothes were filthy and torn, her exposed breasts covered in blood where the marks of a sword had ended her life. A strangled sob escaped Iruka's lips; he did not need to speculate on what happened to her before she died.

"Leave it to you to allow a woman to wound you," Shuichi scowled down at Minako's corpse. "She was hardly woman anyways."

_~"YOU BASTARDS!"~_Iruka screamed and flung himself at Shuichi. Everything he did to avenge the young woman was in vain, his curses and screams went unnoticed and his fists passed harmlessly through the brother's heads. He did not know how long he kept up his useless attack, but he eventually wore himself out. All he could do was curl up in the farthest corner away from the grisly scene and bury his head into his knees, and weep bitterly at how little he could do.

The bandits continued chattering amongst themselves as they emptied Minako's traveling bag. Azano tossed the tea canister aside, it clattered and rolled away to stop before Masao's feet. The boy's eyes remained fixed on the container as his brothers picked through the murdered girl's belongings. Then without a word, Masao turned away and ran to the back room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Where's he going?" Kenbei asked as he tore hungrily at a piece of stolen dried meat.

Azumo shrugged. "You know how he is. He ain't too fond of this stuff."

"He's still a child." Shuichi unsheathed one of his swords to clean it on Minako's tattered robe. The rogue shinobi smiled lewdly at Minako's body and nudged her head with the tip of his weapon. "He will understand once he is grown, and a man's needs are known."

At hearing that, Iruka felt sick to his stomach. He would have vomited if he was able to. Through his own anguish, he hardly noticed when the lights around room began to go dim. The flickering lamps slowly snuffed out, and the details of his nightmarish prison became swallowed by an encroaching darkness. Iruka could barely make out the muffled sounds of Masao's sobs echoing somewhere in the black abyss.

"I'm sorry!" Masao choked out in a hoarse whisper. "I tried to save you, I'm sorry!"

* * *

><p>The tiny alarm bells snapped Iruka into full wakefulness. He had fallen into a restless sleep brought upon by sheer exhaustion, and had no way of telling how long he had sat in the quiet darkness of his strange prison. He rubbed his eyes and hastily got up from his corner, the shrine was cloaked in the shadows of night. He could make out bodies stirring in their bedrolls across the room.<p>

"What's going on?" Iruka heard Masao ask sleepily from his pallet.

"What the fuck!" Kenbei growled and sat up. "Is there someone outside?"

"Shit, Azano!" Shuichi hissed somewhere the darkness. "What the hell! You were supposed to be on guard duty!"

"Sorry!" Azano growled back. "I'll go check it out." The huge shinobi stood up and stretched from where he had fallen asleep by the main entrance. "It's probably just an animal that tripped the alarm," he grumbled as he threw open the thick wooden doors. The light of the full moon poured into the building, bringing into stark detail the Kanzaka brother's pensive faces as they waited for Anazo to make his report. Shuichi had drawn both his swords as a precaution.

The burly shinobi walked a few paces outside and looked carefully about, his senses alert for any chakra presence. "Nothing here," he declared after a few minutes.

Shuichi sighed irritably, then paused to squint at Azano. A thin shadow across the large brother's neck had caught his attention. His eyes widened in realization "AZANO! DON'T MOVE!" he cried.

"Huh?" Azano twisted his head around in confusion, the thin wire around his neck jerked at the movement. With a strangled cry, Azano's large form was thrown forcibly to the earth. The big shinobi choked and clawed uselessly at the wire but his efforts only succeeded in the trap tightening until it broke through his skin.

Kenbei cried out and pulled out his daggers; behind him Masao gasped and did the same with two pairs of kunai.

"It is common knowledge for shinobi to destroy any trace of their kill." A deep voice echoed throughout the dark shrine, it was deceptively calm and held an undercurrent of unspeakable rage. A tall powerfully built man emerged through the open doors, his long black robes hiding Azano from view outside. "Failure to do so may prove to be your undoing."

"Who the fuck are you?" Kenbei spat and started to advance, but was held back by Shuichi's raised hand blocking his way.

"You!" Shuichi snarled. "What business do you have here?" The eldest brother narrowed his black eyes on the intruder.

The man held up his right hand where a thin strip of stained cloth was loosely wrapped, the loose ends fluttered at the motion. It was Minako's white hair ribbon. "You know very well why."

"Is this guy alone?" Kenbei hissed to his elder brother. "Azano needs help!"

"There is no one with me." The intruder replied and reached behind his back to unsheathe a long katana. Its keen edge glittered in the moonlight. "I doubt you cowards would be able to quench my blade's thirst for your blood!"

"Gyahh!" Azano cried over the wire and made a grab for the stranger's ankles. Iruka had not noticed that he had managed to crawl. Without taking his eyes off the other three Kanzaka brothers, the man deftly twirled his sword and mercilessly rammed it down into Azano's head. The big shinobi shuddered once, then with a gurgle he collapsed dead.

"YOU FUCK!" Kenbei shrieked, the daggers trembled in his grasp with rage.

"I should have destroyed you Kanzaka scum a long time ago." The man tilted his head to regard Kenbei, and in doing so the shadows shifted to show his face illuminated by the moonlight. Iruka gaped. The stranger was the spitting image of his Grandfather Hashi, the only difference being a more youthful appearance of a man in his mid-forties, and a long dark braid streaked with silver.

"I found my daughter at the base of the waterfall this morning," the man continued, he spoke in that same frighteningly flat voice. "And I know what you vermin did to her before she died. You filth are lower than the worms that crawl beneath the earth!" He held his sword up before him, the sharp edge facing the brothers. His free hand was over the hilt of the weapon with two fingers splayed in a jutsu. "SPIRAL!"

A sudden gust swirled about the stranger, forming a whirlwind about his body. Iruka could visibly see the chakra attack due to the wind collecting massive amounts of dust from the unkempt shrine. The swirl of dust condensed to whirl about the blade. "SLICE!" the stranger commanded. The deadly wind shot out in a long arch, leaving deep gouges into the hard wood of the floors and walls wherever the edges touched.

The three Kanzaka brothers scattered from the attack. Masao cried out in pain as his left bicep erupted with blood where the wind had sliced into him. The old shrine shook and groaned from the energy of the blow and debris rained from the ceiling. On instinct, Iruka had jumped up into the shelter of the thick rafters before he could be hit. He could feel the immense amount of chakra in the attacks but was unsure if it could harm him in his wraith-like state.

"I know you, Windcutter Yasunori!" Shuichi spat as he landed back to the floor. He held his hands up for a ninjutsu technique. "Let us see if you can withstand my fire jutsu against your wind, old man!"

"Yasunori?" Kenbei yelped behind his elder brother, his voice almost a terrified squeak. "Shit! She was from the Hashibara clan? We didn't know!"

Masao inhaled sharply in pain from his wound and stood his ground between his brothers, his two kunai readied.

Shuichi's hands moved into a blur and settled on the hand seal for Bird. "Wing Flare!" His arms spread out and streams of fire followed his fingertips. Yasunori coolly observed his opponent's movements, and then with his blade ready he took a defensive stance. With a yell, Shuichi clapped his hands together with a sound as loud as a thunderclap. The long streams of fire combined into a single point of white-hot flame and shot out directly at the Hashibara patriarch.

Instead of facing the fire attack head on, Yasunori spun counter clock-wise on his heels into it—his robes flared out and the katana swung along with his fluid movements. The stream of flame met his swordpoint and twisted about the long blade. Ceasing his dance, Yasunori slammed his sandaled foot into the ground with a loud CRACK and flicked his sword out as if to rid blood from it. Thin trails of smoke spat out from the blade at the nullified fire ninjutsu.

The brothers gaped dumbstruck at what they had seen. Shuichi's ultimate fire attack had been rendered ineffective against the master wind manipulator. Masao found his voice. "H-how?"

Iruka was more knowledgeable, and understood that despite fire jutsu being superior to wind, it cannot be effective without oxygen. Yasunori's technique was a highly advanced form of wind chakra control, one that was rare even in Iruka's time. They had witnessed a wind jutsu that created a localized vacuum by spinning air in one direction and then suddenly reversing that force to extinguish fire attacks—which was a difficult enough technique—but to localize the vacuum into a moving weapon such as Yasunori's katana and then catch that narrow stream of concentrated fire into the point of his sword was almost mind boggling. This man who was his great-grandfather possessed a skill well beyond an S-Class warrior.

The Kanzaka brothers had no chance to survive against such a foe.

"Is that it?" Yasunori's voice was bitter with disgust. "I know now that you Kanzaka filth would not have won in a honorable fight against my daughter. Your capability to continue to disgrace her name astounds even me!" Yasunori readied his blade for another attack. "Come at me cowards, I am no maiden lost in the woods!" He swiped his sword and chakra energy flew from it.

Shuichi leaped out of the way in time, his two younger siblings were not so lucky. "Get back!" Kenbei cried and roughly shoved Masao to the floor. The youngest Kanzaka brother twisted around to pull his brother along with him, but he was too late. Kenbei's chest erupted from the wind cutter strike. A mess of cartilage, flesh, blood, and bone flew in every direction. He was flung backwards into the wall and slid heavily to the ground, leaving a bloody smear to mark his passage.

Masao scrambled towards his fallen brother and cradled Kenbai's head on his lap. Kenbei struggled to speak; his breaths came out as if sucking through a dry reed. Then with a strangled gasp, his eyes glazed over and his breathing ceased. "KENBEI!" Masao screamed.

"Fuck!" Shuichi cursed and ran at Yasunori, his twin swords raised to attack. Yasunori slipped easily away from Shuichi's strike, and continued to gracefully dodge the assaults while repeatedly hitting the eldest brother with shallow cuts meant to emphasize the vast difference in their skills, and that Yasunori was able to easily kill Shuichi once he had tired of toying with his daughter's murderer.

Masao was wracked with grief, and anger at his brother's killer suddenly overtook his senses. "YOU BASTARD!" Masao raged and whipped around to throw both his kunai. Yasunori snapped his head away from one, but was forced to allow the other kunaik to strike his right thigh in order to be able to parry Shuichi's blows, which had become more desperate and harder to read. Yasunori yanked the kunai from his leg and threw it back at Masao.

Masao turned to dodge—and stumbled on Kenbei's body, leaving his unprotected back exposed for the weapon to hit. He shrieked when the kunai buried itself into his lower spine and fell heavily to the wooden floor next to his brother's remains. Iruka leaped down from his perch to aid Masao before realizing that he was unable to help. Even if Iruka had the ability to touch the boy, there was nothing he could do. The kunai had severed the nerves inside the lower spine. Masao would never walk again.

Gritting his teeth, Yasunori swung his blade. Shuichi held up his twin swords to block the blow from reaching his face. With a loud CLANG his two swords shattered against the superior metal of the katana, and the eldest brother's head thudded to the ground. Iruka shied away as the severed head rolled before his feet, a bewildered expression was permanently stamped on Shuichi's features. Yasunori disdainfully kicked the body to the floor before it could topple foreword.

Iruka had taken little pleasure in witnessing the slaughter. No matter how much the Kanzaka brothers may have deserved their deaths, watching Yasunori inflict his revenge on his weaker enemies had made Iruka's stomach turn with distaste. Iruka waited apprehensively as his great-grandfather walked towards Masao, the blood-stained sword at the ready to deal the final death blow.

Yasunori coldly watched Masao weakly struggle on the floor. Iruka could hear Shuichi's blood drip slowly from the katana in the dark room that now reeked with death. He held his breath before the terrible scene, and braced himself for the boy to die.

Masao lifted his pained tear-streaked face at Yasunori. "I'm sorry!" he croaked. His wavering voice was filled with sorrow, and held no pleading tone. The crippled boy was resigned to his fate. "I tried to save her, please forgive me!"

Yasunori regarded the wounded boy for a few heartbeats, then to both Iruka's and Masao's surprise, he turned away. The older shinobi wiped his blade with a piece of cloth, tossed it, then sheathed the katana behind his back. "But you didn't," he stated simply, sounding both grieved and weary. He inclined his head, the dark shadows obscuring the emotion in his eyes. The glint of a tear caught the silver moonlight. "And I can never forgive you for that." Without a backwards glance the Hashibara patriarch strode out the main door, leaving the boy to wallow among the remains of his brothers.  
>"Nooo…" Masao moaned, knowing that he was condemned to die a slow painful death. He buried his face into his arms and wept, his cries ragged and harsh. "They're all dead! I'm all alone…" He suddenly lashed out with an empty hand. "I hate them!" he snarled. "I'll kill him for this! FUCK THEM" he shrieked and pounded both his fists into the floor. "I HATE THEM ALL!" Masao screamed and repeatedly drove his curled fists into the floor until the skin broke. Specks of blood flew out with each new hit, which seemed to intensify his rage. Curses poured from his mouth in a stream of broken words intermingled with sobs of frustration. Iruka was taken aback by the murderous intent festering in the boy, whose last shred of compassion and innocence had been irrevocably crushed into something twisted and dark.<p>

And then Iruka heard it; a sound that was almost the sigh of wind flitting through bone-dry grass. His skin broke out into gooseflesh when he realized that it was not the wind, but a hissing laughter growing louder by the moment. Masao stopped his assault on the floor and froze when he heard the ghostly laughter as well. He turned his vacant eyes towards the dark neglected shrine in the wall. The single red candle before the statue of the demon deity suddenly flickered alight.

**"It has been so long!"** a raspy voice echoed from the shrine, it was a whistling growl that seemed to fill the room. **"How I have craved to taste such delicious rage!"**

Every fiber in Iruka's being screamed for him to flee, but his feet remained rooted to the ground. He stood transfixed as the smoke from the red candle swirled above the bright flame into something out of a nightmare. It was the form of a ruined god; its long feline body was emaciated with flesh and white fur rotting from its bones, the whistling sound originated from fleshless gaps in its dog-like muzzle where long rows of exposed teeth grinned maliciously down at Masao. Its bulging eyes gave off a frightening yellow-green glow through the smoke. _~What the hell is that thing!'~_Iruka shuddered; the evil radiating from that presence was all too similar to what he had witnessed the night the Kyuubi took his parent's lives.

"Wh-who are you?" Masao sounded unbearably small and insignificant when compared to that malevolent aura.

The being chuckled in that same raspy laughter that turned into a roar filled with power. **"I am Malice, I am Rage, and I am Grudge. I AM URAMI!"**The rafters in the shrine rattled at the vibration of the deafening sound. Iruka flinched and tried to cover his ears from the noise, and Masao cringed on the floor. The red candle sputtered but refused to go out.

"I-I don't understand." Masao trembled, still awed by the presence of the demon. "Will you heal me?" He glanced back to his useless legs. "If I can walk again—"

**"Such little imagination!"** Urami spat, the force of its disgust was like a whiplash cracking in the air. Masao squeezed his eyes shut in fear, then tendrils of smoke reached out to caress the boy's face. **"My body is dust but my spirit still thirsts for your human hatred,"** it purred. **"You will die here, Kanzaka child, unless you make the pact with me. I will grant you the power to destroy your enemies!"**

"W-what should I do?" Masao asked, sounding a little unsure.

**"That weapon in your back is intermingled with both your blood and that of the Hashibara man."** Urami thrust its terrible face before Masao as it looked the boy over with its yellow-green eyes. **"Such a convenient place to have hit-that wound has also made you unable to sire heirs."** It chuckled at the dawning horror in Masao's face, and continued to goad the boy. **"You will never know the caress of a lover's touch or the feel of a babe bouncing on your lap. Because of the Hashibara, you will never be a true man, and the Kanzaka line is forever dead!"**

"Shut up, SHUT UP!" Masao shrieked and feebly lashed out at the smoke before his face, which only reformed itself into the amused demon's visage. The boy glared defiantly back into the slitted eyes. "If you won't heal me, then what sort of power do I get?" Masao demanded. "I want to make them all know my pain!"

Iruka's throat tightened upon hearing the blood thirst behind Masao's demand.

Urami threw back its head and howled with laughter, which made the blood run cold in the humans who heard it. **"I like your passion, child! But where is the joy in revenge if it is obtained too easily?"**

"What are you saying?" Masao gritted his teeth. "As long as I can kill them, then I don't care how it's done!"

Uruami's eyes lolled in its rotting head and grinned-which was a frightening sight to behold. **"Give the kunai to me, and I will bless you with a power unbound by the limits of your puny mortal flesh—the ability to possess the innocent and kill all those of the Hashibara clan!"**

Without a word, Masao crawled to the shrine. He grunted with exertion as he dragged himself foreword, his blunt nails tore and split from digging into the grain of the wood. With a shaky hand and a small whimper of anticipation, Masao reached behind and yanked the kunai from his back with a gasp, and then held it out to the demon. The intermingled blood of Masao and Yasunori gleamed like cursed rubies in the flickering candlelight as the drops splashed against the small white statue of Urami. "My blood for all of them," Masao offered, his voice taking a strange unsettling pitch akin with mania. "Give me the power to kill them all!"

The wall pressed hard against Iruka's back as he watched in horrified fascination as the smoke began to pour into Masao's mouth, ears, nostrils and eyes as eagerly as if the boy were parched earth soaking in raindrops. Masao's body shuddered at the demon's intrusion, and then his face relaxed into a thoughtful frown once all of the smoke had been absorbed. Then suddenly he screeched in rage. "You bastard! What good is your power if I can't use it on the Hashibara fuckers themselves!"

Urami's mocking laughter radiated like poison from the crippled boy. **"Oh? Did I not tell you that there is no sport in easy revenge?"** Urami gleefully hissed. **"Use the bodies of their beloved as weapons! Pain, despair, and betrayal are all delicacies that I long to taste once again!"**

"Yesss!" Masao hissed back, sounding frighteningly similar to the demon. The small red candle before the small shrine finally flickered out as if in terror of the new presence inside the boy. In the shadows of the fully darkened room, Iruka could see Masao's eyes glowing yellow-green in the blackness. Iruka wrapped his arms about himself and fearfully watched as those terrible eyes melted away into nothingness.

* * *

><p>Iruka returned to consciousness very slowly. He tried to open his eyes but then immediately closed them again, the rays of the late afternoon sun felt like daggers piercing into his skull. A small groan surfaced from his lips in protest to that small effort of movement.<p>

"Oh, he's finally waking." A female voice growled nearby.

"You sound relieved, Akiyuki-chan." An unfamiliar high-pitched man chuckled. "Were you worried that your brutish strength might have done him in?"

"Shut the hell up, Jirou!" Akiyuki snarled. "I'm surprised that venom you call medicine didn't kill him outright!"

"I take as much pride in my poisons as I do in my medicine!" Jirou sniffed indignantly. "I can only do so much if you and that fool Tohru managed to addle his brains beyond repair!"

"Don't you _dare_lump me in with that dead idiot—"

The bickering buzzed in Iruka's ears like a persistent insect. He was still muddled and confused from the strange dream he had so vividly experienced. His muscles felt that he was stretched in a standing position, with hands bound high above his head by the wrists, and his bare feet barely touched the ground . The acute pain of his battle wounds throbbed from the uncomfortable position, and helped remind Iruka that he was grounded in the real world… and not inside another strange dream.

"Enough." An old masculine voice quietly commanded the two adults into an abrupt and obedient silence. Something in that voice unsettled Iruka with its vague familiarity. He slowly opened his eyes against the glare of the sun. The dark figure of a seated man filled his vision, and then color blurred into view. A flash of two frighteningly familiar yellow-green eyes caught his immediate attention, and everything in his nightmare came back into stark detail. Iruka's eyes opened fully and then widened in shock. The ancient man before him had that same scar across his right cheek that trailed a lopped off tip of an ear-the place Minako had once caressed. "M-Masao?"

The old man lifted an eyebrow in mild surprise, and chuckled dryly after a moment in understanding. "Ah, I see." His jaundiced and wrinkled hands gripped the armrest as he leaned back into his cushioned wheelchair. His ruined and atrophied legs were covered in a rich russet blanket. Masao's broad craggy face possessed two shrewd yellowish eyes with wide black pupils riveting into Iruka's startled brown-and seemed to grasp for his victim's soul. The demon's malevolent presence intermingled with the Masao's chakra was terribly vast and intimidating. "Urami-sama has granted you a vision of the past. Did you enjoy it, boy? I often visit this place to meditate on that night."

Iruka did not answer, and with a will, tore his eyes away to glance at his surroundings. He was in the same place of his nightmare, though the ravages of time had brought the shrine into utter ruin. Rot permeated his nostrils, and gaps in the decaying walls and roof allowed streams of bright sunlight to filter in through the dense shadows of the building. Iruka saw that his wrists were bound in thick rope tied to one of the shrine's sturdier roof beams. He was forced to stretch in an effort to reach the splintered floor to help support his weight. His injured shoulder blade throbbed with the sharp stabbing pain of damaged muscles strained to their limit. Iruka noticed then that his flack-vest, Hitai-ate, shirt, I.D tag, shuriken holster and shoes had all been removed—namely anything that could be used as corpse identification. He was not meant to be alive for much longer, and his naked torso gave hint that it was to be through torture.

"Your eyes…I remember them so well." The elderly Masao said, "You are indeed a child directly attached to Minako's line…through the younger brother Torichi, correct?" The elderly man shook his head, the slight smile on his thin lips faintly echoed Urami's grin. "It's a pity that I'll have to see pain in those eyes again."

Iruka gritted his teeth and met Masao's gaze head-on. A sense of release flowed through him borne out of the knowledge that he had nothing left to lose. If Kakashi were to discover his remains, he vowed that he will show the Copy-nin that he had persisted through much-and had died a Konoha shinobi.

Iruka would not go down without a fight.

**End of Chapter 9**


	10. Where Sleeping Dogs Lie

**Author's notes: **I would like to thank everyone who commented and faved this story (it really means a lot to me! 3) I apologize for the delay for this chapter, I ended up rewritting and editing this several times before it felt right for me to publish. The story is nearly done, thank you everyone for following so far!

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Where Sleeping Dogs Lie<strong>

No one was more surprised than Iruka when he let out a short bark of mirthless laughter. He had no idea why he reacted so; perhaps his concussion had driven the last of the sense from his brain. In truth, Iruka was utterly terrified to find himself helplessly trussed up and at the mercy of his captors, but he was also enormously relieved to see daylight again. Iruka had wakened from one nightmare only to find himself in another-the pitiful boy Masao had become a crazed old man infused with the powers of a demon.

He was so screwed that it was almost funny.

"Oh my, has he gone mad?" Akiyuki's mouth quirked as she twirled a long strand of her coppery dreadlocks. "Just don't blame me; I didn't hit him anywhere too important. That would have been Tohru's doing."

Jiro stepped forward and seemed to peer at Iruka. The blind medical-nin's bushy grey eyebrows furrowed over the black blindfold that covered his sunken eyes. He appeared to be as ancient as Masao, age stooped a slender frame wrapped tightly in fine green robes embroidered with the kanji symbol representing the demon Urami over the chest. The thin goatee protruding from Jiro's sharp chin quivered as he made his assessment. "His chakra patterns are normal, excluding the hairline fractures around the left shoulder blade. I can see no interruptions around the mind."

"Maybe he's just happy to see you, Masao-sama." Akiyuki gave her master a sidelong glance before directing a malicious smile at Iruka. "After all, he is the first of the Hashibara clan to have the honor of being in your presence."

"Honor?" Iruka chuckled bitterly at Masao, who raised an eyebrow in response. "What would you know of it? Did you leave me alive so that you could get your kicks through torture?" Iruka allowed his contempt to fully show on his face. "What's wrong, is it not enough because I'm a grown man and not a defenseless child screaming for its mother?"

"Silence!" Jiro swiped his hand through the air. Iruka gasped when two chakra-enforced needles struck pressure points under his left collarbone. It was not a lethal blow, but one meant to elicit excruciating pain. "How dare you speak to Masao-sama so impudently?" Jiro brandished more needles to throw. "I'll teach you to hold that tongue!"

"That's enough of a demonstration, Jiro." Masao's soft voice cut through the air like a knife. "The boy may bark all he wants, but it will not change his fate."

Iruka set his jaw and glared defiantly at Masao, who impassively met his gaze. Iruka had undergone torture and endurance training in Konoha, but a simulated experience could only go so far when compared to the real thing. As tempting as it was, it would not do to goad his tormenters any further. It was only a matter of time before they started.

"If you truly had witnessed my past then you would recognize this." Masao's gnarled hand reached inside his robe to carefully retrieve an antique kunai. The weapon gleamed in the dim sunlight that filtered through gaps in the ruined building. "This is the very same weapon that I threw at Hashibara Yasunori, who in turn threw it back on an unarmed child." Masao's yellow eyes flickered from prisoner to kunai. "No doubt it was Yasunori's blood that I offered to Urami-sama that had permitted you to see those events."

Iruka glanced to the corner of the building where he could see the shrine dedicated to demon scrubbed cleaned and wreathed in the smoke of lit incense. The small white statue of Urami seemed to glow like a flame through the rot of the building. Iruka's attention went back to Masao as the old man continued with his musing.

"Can you imagine a child forced to crawl like a worm through the putrid rot of his family? I think not. It took me two years to recover from that night." The hilt of the kunai rolled idly in Masao's fingers. "Even with Urami-sama inside me, I would not have survived without dear Jiro-kun's skills. I was most fortunate that he had happened by this place."

Jiro bowed in appreciation of the praise.

"The ordeal only intensified my need for vengeance." Masao closed his eyes in memory. "When I finally did attack I was blinded by rage and ill-trained for a direct assault-defenseless as they were in the dead of night. Yasunori was clever to instruct his clan to scatter to the four winds if ever his enemies from the war attacked. I did not realize at the time that so many would escape. Those that did not return settled elsewhere to breed like rats-which made my blood oath with Urami-sama that much more difficult to satisfy."

With a snarl Masao rammed the kunai into the arm of his wheelchair. "I have been forced to devote my life exterminating all those of the Hashibara bloodline!" Breathing heavily, Masao looked down at the kunai buried point-deep into the armrest where hairline fractures cracked the fine grain of the polished wood. Seeming to collect himself, he sighed wearily, appearing for a moment as any elderly man wistfully recalling the past. "It was my blunder that resulted in the births of so many condemned to die." Masao's pale eyes focused intently on his prisoner's face. "I dearly hope that you, my boy, are the last."

"Please, try not sound so disappointed." Iruka said dryly, unable to resist with the retort.

"I need to know if you have any other family—children, perhaps?" Masao's tone brooked little patience and his yellow eyes hardened. "I will find out either way once you are dead. Telling me now will spare me from lot of trouble, and I promise that their deaths would be quick and relatively painless."

Iruka scoffed at that.

"I doubt that you need to worry about that." Akiyuki strode over to yank on a handful of Iruka's loose hair to expose the fresh bite mark Kakashi had left on the crook of his neck. "See here? He's only been with that Hatake man since leaving Konoha. This one's a faggot." She released her hold by shoving Iruka's head away.

Iruka swayed in his bonds, his injured shoulder burning with renewed pain at the rough treatment. He bristled inwardly at the insult but was able to maintain a neutral expression, determined not lose his composure at Akiyuki's expense.

"Even so, it does not hurt to inquire. One always seems to slip through my fingers." Masao shrugged, his loose grey robes rustling at the movement. "You are young my dear, and you cannot fathom how heavy this feud has weighed upon my shoulders. I only wish to retire and spend my final years in peace."

"You will not rest easy," Iruka muttered. "I promise that I will forever haunt your dreams."

Jiro bared his teeth and made as if to advance on Iruka, but was interrupted by Akiyuki suddenly stiffening as if she had been struck across the face. "My lord," she said with a faraway look in her green eyes. "That Hatake pest is in the swamps."

Iruka's heart fluttered with hesitant hope. The emotion must have shown on his face as he realized Masao curiously watching him. "Perhaps you are right about the boy, Akiyuki-chan," Masao mused. "This sets my mind at ease now that I know that he is truly the last of his clan."

"And he will not be missed, except for one minor detail." Akiyuki knelt reverently before her master. "Kanzaka-sama," her deep voice was tight with formality. "I ask for the honor of killing this man who dares to interfere with your holy war." Akiyuki bowed so low that her nose nearly touched where wheelchair and floor met. "Hatake Kakashi is known throughout the lands for his prowess in ninjutsu. I humbly request to receive the gift of Urami-sama into my flesh if he proves to be a difficult opponent."

"Sir!" Jiro protested behind the kunoichi. "Your body has yet to fully recover after Ruriko's death during that battle in Konoha!"

"Shut up, Jiro!" Iruka could have sworn that the ends of Akiyuki's long dreadlocks had twitched on the floor as if they were living things attached to her anger. "This is not your decision! It was Ruriko's lack of chakra control that had her and Ieppei killed at the hands of that insufferable green man with the glittering teeth!" She spat at the floor in disgust. "It is a disgrace to be defeated by such a noisy fool, and without any casualties among Konoha's number!"

Iruka's eyes widened at the description of the Konoha shinobi, and then the corners of his mouth twitched with grim satisfaction at the sour look on Akiyuki's face. A weight had lifted off Iruka's chest knowing that none of the brave Jounin had died at his expense during the night of his escape, and that it was the flamboyant Maito Gai who was involved with taking down Kanzaka Masao's minions.

"It is not the best of circumstances-" Masao made a gesture for Akiyuki to rise. "But I agree that precautions must be made if Hatake has managed to track us to this remote place."

Akiyuki shot Jiro a triumphant smile as she rose. The blind medical-nin sputtered wordlessly with indignation.

"My dear," Masao affectionately trailed one jaundiced finger across the kunoichi's arm. "Have a care to reign in that temper of yours. I still need your help finding new blood to replenish our numbers, as we still have Gizan village to consider once this unpleasant business is concluded." His yellow eyes flickered to Iruka before resettling on Akiyuki's reverent expression. "I will not interfere unless I am direly needed."

Akiyuki bowed her head respectfully before her body crumbled into a powder of dirt in a teleportation jutsu.

"Masao-sama, I must refuse!" Jiro waved his hands wildly at the spot where the kunochi had vanished. "You cannot mean to use Akiyuki as a vessel! There has been such little time for you to adapt to her body-"

Masao held up a hand for silence, which did not deter Jiro. "B-but...through _that _brat-"

**"You will do as you are told!" **A rumble of an inhuman roar belied Masao's command. Iruka started at the sound and Jiro shrank away in terror. Masao's eyes shone like polished gold and Iruka could see the faint outline of smoke swirl about his wasted body. The presence of Urami seemed to dampen the very air with murderous intent.

Masao blinked and shook his head as if to rid himself of a bad thought. The aura of the demon lessened, and he was again an elderly man. "Forgive me, my old friend." He said in a normal voice. "The stress of these last few weeks have taken a toll on me." Masao made a motion to beckon the medical-nin. "You must remember that it was Hatake Kakashi that has led us to all this trouble in the first place." He scowled and glared venomously at Iruka. "I have lost nearly all of my subordinates to obtain this boy, and I will personally have a hand in Hatake's death if I see fit. Understood?"

"Understood, m'lord." The blind shinobi mumbled and crept towards his master in a manner similar to a cowed dog. "Hatake has caused us much trouble," Jiro ventured in a sullen tone as he opened a long pouch at his hip containing acupuncture needles. "We should have used one of the children to kill Torichi's grandson in the first place." Jiro smiled wickedly at Iruka. "It was so kind of the Sensei to provide us with that useful diagram in his classroom."

"There would have been too much suspicion if I had acted through one to begin with." Masao leaned back into his wheelchair as the medical-nin began to tap chakra points on his arm to place the needles. "An unstable shinobi would have been easy to explain for a random murder in a Hidden Village, and the following investigation would have been contained."

"It was that blasted Sharingan eye that spoiled the kill!" Jiro's goatee shook with concentration as he inserted a needle between Masao's eyes. "Ruriko and Ieppei could have escaped unnoticed if you had used another shinobi to finish the job."

"I had to strike when I still had the advantage of their Hokage's ignorance." Masao's right hand brushed over the hilt of the old kunai stuck in the wheelchair's armrest. "It would have drawn attention towards any outsiders in the village if I had made another attempt through a different vessel in their ranks...I had hoped that an 'accident' by an old butcher was a better strategy, but it was my folly to have underestimated my prey's warrior instincts."

"That was a shame," Jiro replied with a shake of his head, and dipped a wrinkled hand into his pouch for more needles. "And after Ieppei had gone through much risk to plant my poisoned knife on that girl, Hatake had to interfere again by using one of his mutts as a bodyguard."

Iruka held himself very still as his captors quietly conversed. Jiro's back was turned but Masao's heavy lidded eyes were still alert and facing his prisoner. Iruka resisted any urge to shift in his uncomfortable position in an effort to make himself as unnoticeable as possible.

Masao growled deep within his throat when a needle drew blood under a knuckle. "You know that I detest using children unless I am forced to. Although I was fortunate to have had caught a brief glimpse of their Hokage's gaze through Rumiko's eyes after using that girl-even if it did us little good in the end."

"This boy has caused us the most trouble out of all the Hashibara vermin." Jiro said as he carefully wiped the blood off Masao's hand with a cloth. "How did you know that retreating to Gizan would bring him to you?"

"It is fate, my old friend. I knew that he would come sniffing around these parts looking for answer." The knowing smile that twitched on Masao's lips did not reach his eyes. "A rat always returns to its nest when it thinks that the cat has gone away."

Jiro made a satisfied sound when the final needle was in place. He took a cautious step back. "Please do not push yourself, my lord. Akiyuki likes to play rough."

Masao did not answer. The old man's body began to convulsively shudder, causing the wheelchair to rock and creak at the violent motion. The ends of the acupuncture needles quivered and flashed bright with green chakra and then went out suddenly like a snuffed candle. Masao slumped back against his chair, his head lolling morbidly against his pillow. The yellow eyes had slipped closed as if he were a deep sleep.

Jiro clucked worriedly as he checked the protruding needles, and continued muttering to himself as he added more acupuncture needles into the prone body of his master.

Iruka remained utterly still and waited for any sign of Masao waking. He began once he was certain that the blind shinobi was fully absorbed into his task. Iruka stretched the entire length of his body until the pads of his toes were able to touch the ground. The grime on the floor made it difficult to obtain much of a purchase, but he managed to creep backwards enough to help gain some momentum. Iruka took a few deep breaths to prepare himself and prayed that neither the ropes or rafters would creak before he released his hold on the floor.

In one fluid motion, Iruka swung foreword and tucked his knees while at the same time throwing his back his head. Bending his elbows, he hauled his body up and over until he was curled nearly upside down. Iruka could not prevent a faint hiss from escaping through his clenched teeth; it was taking all of his willpower to keep himself from making any noise at the cost of his injured shoulder. The muscles in his abdomen and arms quivered with strain and threatened to buckle at the awkward position of holding the weight of his entire body. The feat was one that Iruka had regularly taught and demonstrated in the classroom-though it would have been far easier to execute if not for his prior injuries and drained chakra reserves that were further suppressed by Jiro's ministrations.

Iruka grimaced when one of the needles imbedded in his chest brushed against the rope as he forced one leg to unbend upwards. The bruise in the back of his head pounded, and he could see his bound hands turning dark at the added pressure. Iruka could not hold his position for much longer without losing his balance, and he was unsure if he had the strength to try it again. His toes curled around the coarse fiber of the rope, and with a final heave Iruka kicked out with his other leg and was finally able to hook the back of his knee around the rope. Iruka twisted his ankle around the line for his leg to help support his weight and allow for some slack around his wrists.

Jiro coughed.

Iruka started at the noise and jerked his head towards the two men. Masao remained deathly still with his eyes closed. Jiro coughed again to clear his throat and continued tending to his patient. The blind shinobi had completely ignored their prisoner.

Not wasting any more time, Iruka bit into the knot tied to his wrists and began to savagely tear and pull at it. _'After all that talk, they still continue to underestimate me.' _

His captors had failed to recall that even a rat could free itself by just using its teeth.

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><p>Kakashi's feet skidded over the wet ground when Pakkun abruptly halted. Kakashi forced himself to stand still to help the nin-dog concentrate, he was finding it hard to keep his impatience from showing. They had been tracking Iruka's faint scent for a few hours now, and three times they had to backtrack from false leads before the pug could relocate the trail.<p>

The nin-dog seemed annoyed as he sniffed the dank air. Not even a fresh breeze flowed through the bare branches of the trees to help pierce through the eerie silence surrounding the swamp. Wisps of fog hovered over dark pools and filthy puddles that pocked the landscape, making the forest appear otherworldly.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked in a whisper.

"It's these plants." The little pug wrinkled his nose with distaste at tall leafy weeds that seemed to be the only living thing to flourish in the muck. Waxy orange stalks poked from the center of each plant and oozed with a pungent smell akin to rotting meat. "I can't track through all that stink."

Kakashi surveyed the terrain with a critical eye. The swamp seemed fairly new and possibly made through the use of an earth jutsu, as evidenced by the few hardy trees still alive and standing-though not for much longer, as disease and fungi mottled the bark. The rest stood dead with roots rotting in the soggy ground, several had already toppled and were in various stages of decay to add to the overwhelming smell. _'They knew that I would rely on Pakkun's scent to follow._' Kakashi pushed his Hiate-ate up to uncover his Sharingan. _'This would be an ideal place for an ambush.' _

As if in answer to Kakashi thought, the soggy ground began to churn. Pakkun gave out a startled yip as the mud slid under his paws to pull the nin-dog under. Kakashi swore under his breath and scooped the pug into his arms before he could sink. He was finding it difficult himself for his chakra-enforced feet to keep from sinking.

"The trees!" Pakkun wiggled in the Jounin's grasp. Kakashi sprinted over the ground and leaped to the safety of a tall wilting pine.

"Don't think that will keep you away from me." A familiar gravely voice echoed in the swamp.

Kakashi threw a handful of shuriken in the direction of Akiyuki before he was able to spot her. The kunoichi's head poked just above the surface of a muddy pool, her long coppery dreadlocks floated around her face and held the three shuriken wrapped tightly around its ends.

_'Clever.' _Kakashi thought grudgingly, seeing with his Sharingan how dirt imbedded inside her hair allowed the earth user to individually control each strand. "I see that your hairstyle serves more than a bad taste for fashion."

"Hmph." Akiyuki's hair flicked like snakes to throw the shuriken back at the Jounin. Kakashi easily stepped away for the weapons to whiz harmlessly by.

"I think that it's time for you to leave." Kakashi muttered to Pakkun without taking his eyes off Akiyuki, who was slowly moving out from the water. The kunochi rose effortlessly from the pool as if she were being gently pushed up by her feet, most likely by her controlling the mud.

"Orders?" Pakkun asked as he was released onto the thick branch.

"Keep looking for Iruka's scent, but stay hidden. This woman had deliberately led us here and there might be others lurking about."

"There's something off about her." The little nin-dog was hard pressed to keep himself from trembling as he nervously looked to where Akiyuki was patiently waiting on top of the pool's still surface. Not a drop of water or speck of mud was visible on her body. "It's as if there's a big shadow behind her just waiting to strike."

"I've already been acquainted with her 'friend.'" Kakashi made an impatient gesture. "Now GO"

Pakkun sniffed as he turned. "Be careful, Boss. I'll be back for you."

Kakashi felt the branch shift when Pakkun left, and he narrowed his eyes down at his foe. "Is it just you?" He made an effort to sound unimpressed as a means to goad the woman's temper for information. "And here I was hoping for a proper challenge."

"You will get one." Akiyuki replied with a smirk. "I hope that you do better than your Chuunin. By the way, my Master sends his gratitude for delivering him to us. We are quite pleased to have him as our guest." The smile on her face twisted into something nasty. "Did he taste good, Hatake? Even if you defeat me, your little pet will be cut up into pieces before long. And if you do manage to get past me...would you care to try him for another _bite?" _Her last word came out with the lilt of a taunting laugh.

The kunai trembled in Kakashi's hand. He had not realized that it had been drawn. He very much wanted to kill this woman right then and now, but knew better than to leap down from the trees to where the earth was Akiyuki's domain. _'Idiot, don't play into her game.'_ He took a deep breath to clear his mind. He would have more of an advantage if he could lure her near water or dry ground where his arsenal of ninjutsu could be more of use, but he could see none in the area that was not tainted with mud. Akiyuki definitely had the swamp to her advantage.

Something cold and wet slid over Kakashi's ankles. He glanced down to see thin tendrils of mud had crept up the tree and under his perch to wrap around his feet. With his Sharingan exposed Kakashi could clearly pinpoint the chakra inside, and stabbed his kunai where the vein of energy was thickest. The useless action earned him a contemptuous snort from his foe.

"Tsk tsk." Akiyuki clucked below. "Didn't I warn you that being in a tree will not keep you away from me?"

"Cocky bitch," Kakashi grumbled as he pulled a low level paper bomb from his pouch and slapped it onto the branch. The resulting explosion was enough to destroy the tree limb and cut off the flow of Akiyuki's chakra to free him from the mud. Kakashi wasted no time leaping through the huge billow of smoke to another tree. He glimpsed from the corner of his eye Akiyuki's head disappearing under the water.

_'So she's an earth user with some skill in water manipulation.' _Kakashi had the advantage of lightning against her earth jutsu, but it was useless if he could not get close to an opponent that favored long range attacks. He deftly moved up a few branches to avoid being snared by more mud slithering up his tree.

Something skittered above Kakashi's head. Being mindful of the mud creeping up from below, he looked to see a clawed hand made of earth reaching out to dig out his eyes. Twirling the kunai over his thumb by the ring, Kakashi made a few hand seals to evoke lightning into his weapon and in one quick motion sliced the hand off by the wrist.

Akiyuki screeched and flew out of a pond as the severed hand dropped into a formless clump of dirt. One of the coppery strands fell off her head trailing a bloody stump. "Bastard!" Akiyuki growled as she clutched the wound on her temple. She froze when the tip of a weapon pricked the back of her neck.

"Gotcha!" Kakashi's clone said cheerfully. "You really should pay more attention to what happens under the cover of smoke."

"That bomb was a diversion?" Akiyuki's gravely voice wavered, the first sign of her fear showing.

"I'm pressed for time and would rather not banter." The clone's kunai broke through the surface of Akiyuki's skin. She did not flinch at the threat, and a thin trickle of blood began to flow. "Where is he?"

Akiyuki's hair struck out to impale through the clone's head. The clone splashed into the water before dissolving into smoke. Akiyuki's sank to her thighs in the pool, but her escape was prevented when a gloved hand shot through the smoke to twist around the roots of her hair.

"You're predictable," Kakashi drawled. His grasp sparked with the power of lightning to nullify the earth chakra inside Akiyuki's hair, and he gave it a vicious yank for good measure. Akiyuki yelped in pain but remained still, the tips of her long hair twitched uselessly around Kakashi's arm.

Half submerged in the water, Akiyuki craned her neck to glare up at Kakashi and his Sharingan eye. "I see that you have a sinister power inside you as well," she rasped.

"I'd rather think of it as my guardian angel, considering who gave it to me." Kakashi tapped Akiyuki's forehead with his kunai to get her attention. "I hope you are ready, your death is coming."

Akiyuki gasped at the sight of another of Kakashi's clones hunched at the far end of the pond, its right arm pointing down and crackling with a chidori. Akiyuki struggled as the clone charged over the water to hit her square in the face. The clone vanished after the justsu discharged, and Kakashi was left holding strands of dreadlocks crumbling into dried mud. Akiyuki was gone.

"Still predictable." Kakashi sighed with disappointment and flung his kunai over the pond to nail one of the fleeing kunoichi's dreadlocks against a dead tree. Akiyuki clawed desperately at the weapon, her breath came out in quick pants and her green eyes were wide open in terror. It was exactly what Kakashi wanted to see.

"You are outmatched and unable to escape." Kakashi strode purposely over the pond and fixed his Sharingan onto her gaze. "I can either just kill you or I can...how shall I say this? Be a little more _creative _with your death." The Jounin's feet squelched in the mud as he stepped onto the bank and halted a few paces from his prisoner, his red eye glowing and at the ready to deliver unspeakable tortures. "I promise that I possess a _very _active imagination. But I will ask one last time before I begin. Where is he?"

And then the impossible happened. Akiyuki broke eye contact with the Sharingan and lunged with a shriek as the nailed strand of her hair ripped out of her head.

"What!" For one precious heartbeat, Kakashi gaped with disbelief.

His momentary lapse gave the kunoichi enough time to skirt away to a clearing choked with the stinking orange weeds. Akiyuki threw up her arms to the darkening sky. "I beg of you, Masao-sama!" At her plea, the fog lurched from the swamp to twist and swirl around her.

Kakashi sensed the familiar presence and knew then that this possession was far different from what he had faced back in Konoha. He ran at the woman before Kanzaka Masao could take full control of her body.

"Too late!" Akiyuki cried, her green eyes sparkling with a golden light. Her deep voice echoed with that of a masculine one. "I made this swamp, it belongs to me!" Cackling with insane glee, she held out a fog enveloped hand towards the Jounin. At her summon, the ground shook with the force of an earthquake and rattled the bare branches of the trees like clattering bones.

Kakashi barely had time to dodge when a giant hand ripped out from the earth to swipe at him. He leaped back to the surface of the churning pond, his feet barely able to maintain its hold on the unsteady surface. His Sharingan could see an enormous flow of foreign chakra circulating throughout Akiyuki's body and into her earth jutsu. Whatever possessed the kunoichi, he was certain that it was not from a human source. He had only before witnessed a similar power of such magnitude inside Naruto when the boy was infused with the power of Kyuubi.

Trailing roots and splattering mud, the massive limb reached over the pond to make another grab at him. Noting its steady position, Kakashi's fingers flew into the proper seals to summon another chidori and he charged thrusting the sparkling orb into the center of the giant palm. He was horrified to see his lightning absorb into the mud and snuff out under his hand, a ring of dried dirt being the only evidence of damage Kakashi had made. The power boosting Akiyuki's earth chakra was strong enough to counteract a direct lightning jutsu.

Kakashi teleported before the clawed fingers could stab into his body. The log he left behind exploded into a shower of splinters under the crushing force of the giant hand. Kakashi swayed on a branch near the tip of a sparse tree, his mind raced through his vast arsenal of ninjutsu that could counter such a force, and found few options that would not completely drain him of both chakra and strength.

This fight was going to be far more challenging than he had previously thought.

* * *

><p>Iruka's captors had the foresight to individually tie his wrists to make freeing himself more difficult. He was able to get one of the knots loose enough to squeeze his right hand free when Jirou finally took notice of what he was doing.<p>

"Oh no you don't!"

Alerted by the outraged cry, Iruka released his leg around the rope and dropped in time before a handful of needles could hit his unprotected back. Iruka grunted in pain when his injured shoulder jarred at the force of being dangled by his wrist still attached to the end of the long rope.

Jiro swore as he dug into his pouch. Iruka took advantage of the shinobi's distraction to scurry up the rope to the open rafters. His grip on the rope slipped as he climbed, both of his hands were stiff and numb after many hours being tied. Panic almost overwhelmed him when he reached out for the wooden beam and instead slid down the rope a mere arm's length away from safety.

Iruka cried out and nearly lost his hold when several needles sunk into his thighs and bare calves. Jiro cackled, and the mocking sound helped to spur Iruka's efforts anew. With a burst of energy he hauled himself up the rope and threw an arm over the splintery beam. He scrambled for a moment swinging his legs until he was able to succeed getting a knee up over the edge. The wide beam shuddered as he pulled himself up. Iruka rolled onto his back and shivered with relief. His arms trembled with exertion as he struggled to free his remaining hand.

"How _dare _you!" The blind shinobi spat, spittle flew over his goatee. "Impudent little shit!"

Iruka tore his hand out of the rope and threw it aside; a flying needle barely missed his arm in doing so. His eyes roamed about the area, he could easily slip through one of the many gaping holes in the thatched roof but escape was the last thing on Iruka's mind. Kakashi could probably take Akiyuki down but he might not stand a chance with Urami inside her. Iruka turned his head to where Masao still sat unmoving. An old saying Hokage Sarutobi had often used echoed in the back of Iruka's mind: "To kill a snake, one must destroy its head."

Iruka reached to pry the two needles stuck below his left collarbone. It was not an ideal weapon, but it was all that he had. After taking a sharp breath Iruka moved to his feet and grimaced as his legs stung at the bits of metal inside. Staying in a low crouch to use the beam as a shield, Iruka ran to throw his projectiles at Masao. The needles were lighter and far more delicate then a senbon, and without chakra to propel them they fell pathetically short from his target.

Iruka halted when he heard the foreboding sound of cracking wood and hopped to an adjacent beam before it could collapse. Termites and neglect had made the wooden network holding the roof unstable, and both had long done their work weakening the supports connecting the thick beams to the building. His new perch bowed at his added weight. Needles thudded into the wood underneath and Iruka frowned down at the blind shinobi who was readying more needles to throw.

_'He can only sense my chakra patterns, and nothing else.' _Iruka realized as a few more needles hit under the beam when he attempted to move. Iruka started running again. His bare feet skidded over layers of dust and dried rodent droppings, unable to grip the timber with his suppressed chakra reserves.

As Iruka continued to play the deadly cat-and-mouse game with Jiro, a half-formed plan surfaced in the Chuunin's mind to take both of his enemies down in one blow.

* * *

><p>Kakashi knew that he was close to reaching his limit. He had lost track of the number of jutsus he had used against Akiyuki, and every attempt-lightning nature or otherwise-had proved to be completely futile.<p>

"Damn her!" Kakashi was breathing heavily and favored his right leg when he shifted his stance in preparation for another attack. A stone-tipped finger from Akiyuki's giant hand had managed to slice his left thigh. Blood dripped through his trousers to soak into the white wrappings around his calf.

His hands blurred in an array of seals to summon Zabuza's water dragon from one of the ponds. The dragon sprang from the pool with a roar, its body dark with tainted swamp water. It lunged for the giant hand to clamp watery jaws over the wrist and tore like a dog attacking a new toy.

Akiyuki impassively flicked her wrist and the fog followed her command. The fingers of the earthen hand snapped around to grasp the long neck of the dragon, and the reptilian head burst into a spray of water. The body of the water jutsu lost its form instantly and fell over the giant limb with a splash.

Hoping to catch the kunoichi off guard, Kakashi yanked a kunai out from his back pouch and threw it with deadly accuracy. A protective wall of mud sprang from the ground around Akiyuki and the kunai sank hilt-deep into the wall before detonating from the attached paper bomb.

The undamaged shield retreated back into the earth to reveal Akiyuki smirking at the Jounin's failed attempt.

Kakashi growled with frustration as he pressed a hand to staunch the injury in his thigh. The water dragon had been the last major jutsu that he was capable of performing; he no longer possessed the chakra for anything strong enough to counter Akiyuki's attacks. All that he did now would be in defense against an enemy who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of chakra granted through Masao's powers.

He was completely, and most certainly-fucked.

* * *

><p>Iruka jumped to the beam hanging directly over Masao's slumped form. The rafters swayed dangerously when he landed. Clumps of thatch scattered from where Jiro's weapons had narrowly missed his body. Reaching for a fixed bamboo pole that wove through the roof Iruka pulled up while tucking in both his feet and stamped down hard. One of the joints connecting the beam to the wall cracked and it slid down a few centimeters.<p>

"NO!" Jiro shrieked, understanding Iruka's intent. The medical-nin made a dash towards his unconscious master.

Iruka gritted his teeth and slammed down with all his strength. The beam creaked and moved a bit more but did not fall. At the moment Jiro reached Masao, Iruka released his hold on the pole and threw himself for the entirety of his weight to push against the last of the beam's resistance. It slid free with a resounding crack and Iruka bounded to a safe distance near the wall of the shrine.

By sheer luck Jiro had managed to move himself and Masao in time to avoid the beam crashing through the floor.

Iruka's curse at his failure died in his throat when the entire building rumbled, spraying dust and loose thatch to rain down throughout the decrepit shrine. The thick log that acted as the spine holding the crest of the roof bowed in the middle. Bamboo poles snapped and threw splinters of wood, thatch and dust into the air. With a sinking feeling, Iruka realized then that he had broken one of the main supports that held the unstable roof.

With no chance to escape, Iruka covered his head and knelt to press himself flat against the wall under the slanted edge of the roof. Below, Jiro ran in panicked circles around Masao while flailing his arms in a poor attempt to protect himself from the falling chunks of debris.

With an ominous groan similar to that of a dying beast, the log broke with an earsplitting crack and the roof caved in. Jiro's final scream was drowned out by deafening roar of the upper building descending to bury its unfortunate victims under its deadly mass.

It was all over in an instant.

Iruka choked through the immense cloud of dust that rose from the wreckage, and blinked owlishly at the setting sun. He could not see through the dust for proof if he had succeeded in flattening his enemies. The shrine's smooth board walls remained standing sound; loose rubble skipped and tumbled over broken stumps of beams that still clung to the building. The back of Iruka's neck and shoulders were weighted down by that rubble, and could not stand from his crouched position.

Iruka's fingers clutched desperately at the wall when his feet started to slide over the slanted edge of his damaged perch. His limbs scrabbled for purchase but without chakra to help cement his hold he could do nothing to prevent the inevitable.

Iruka's heels skidded over the edge, and he teetered for a heartbeat before plummeting into the dust.

* * *

><p>Kakashi summoned chakra for a replacement jutsu as Akiyuki's earthen hand encircled around his body-and found nothing in his reserves to help aid in his escape. He stabbed desperately as the massive fingers tightened its grip to pulverize his ribcage. Kakashi instinctively threw his arms before his face in a futile attempt to save himself.<p>

Then suddenly, the earthen hand loosened its crushing hold around Kakashi's torso and dropped heavily to the ground. Kakashi watched incredulously as the deadly fingers twitched once before dissolving into a sizable ring of mud around his feet. The earth jutsu no longer resembled the frightening form that had just nearly killed him.

Akiyuki screamed a short distance away as the otherworldly fog faded about her. "Why?" she cried, her voice was back to its normal gravel and hoarse with despair. "My lord, why did you abandon me?"

Kakashi killed her before she could recover from her shock.

Feeling not an ounce of remorse, Kakashi pulled his one remaining kunai out from the base of the kunoichi's throat and tipped her body over. Akiyuki fell backwards with a gurgle, her disbelief over Masao's betrayal permanently stamped across her face.

Kakashi turned away as Akiyuki's body began to sink into the mud. He wiped her blood off his weapon and stuck it back in its holster. That small motion made Kakashi sway on his feet, a dangerous sign of the extent of his chakra depletion. He grimly dug into a vest pocket for an energy pill and swallowed it dry. The drug would give him enough energy to keep searching for Iruka, though he had no idea on how he could help in his present condition.

Pakkun shot out from the bushes. He paused briefly to take in Akiyuki's partially buried corpse and Kakashi's haggard appearance before reporting. "I found him, but it's really bad!" The pug was wide eyed and shaking with anxiety. "We need to hurry!"

* * *

><p>Iruka groaned and then coughed violently as he slowly pushed himself to his knees. His decent had been broken by the mountain of debris. He had bounced and rolled head over heels before landing on his stomach into a soft mound of rotting thatch. Iruka was scratched and bruised from his fall, but otherwise unharmed. He had been immensely fortunate not to have been impaled by the countless broken poles and splintered beams that poked out in odd angles through the wreckage.<p>

He noticed a bloodied arm clad in the tattered remains of fine green fabric splayed out from under a thick blanket of thatch. It was bent at an impossible angle and partially flattened by heavy stones that were once used to help weigh the roofing system down. Iruka was immensely relieved at seeing Jiro's lifeless body as he had been standing next to Masao when the roof collapsed. It was impossible for either of them to have survived through the catastrophe.

A pebble fell before Iruka's face. He looked up and froze-the breath caught in his throat and his skin prickled with fright. A pair of yellow eyes glowed through the settling dust to bore into his own.

He was not alone.

**"You!"** A voice hissed from the far end of the destroyed shrine. Wisps of dust fled from the evil sound to reveal Masao sitting whole and unharmed in his wheelchair. Jiro had succeeded in pushing his master away in time to safety of a corner where the sturdiest beams had sheltered him from the chaos. The ghostly form of Urami clung to Masao's wasted body like a cloak, the demon's rotting head floated above and snarled with an eagerness to kill. The old man's craggy face was contorted beyond recognition with unbelievable rage.

Iruka knew that face, and the memory sprang unbidden into his mind-it was the very same expression Kakashi had worn on that night long ago in the Laundromat when Masao had first tried to murder him.

Masao reached one wizened hand out to Iruka and Urami's vaporous claws followed the motion. Both demon and man spoke as one. **"I will rip the entrails out from your gut one piece at a time for all that you have done!"**

**End of chapter 10**


	11. Blood of the Sinner

**Author's Notes: **FINALLY this chapter is done! (soo sorry for the delay, I ended up rewriting this several times before getting it right, plus some majorly crappy stuff happened in the real world) Thank you everyone who has reviewed/fav'd/encouraged/followed/been patient with this story! I seriously appreciate you readers ^_^ One more chapter to go with this story before it's done!

**Ch. 11: The Blood of the Sinner**

The sun shone with all the brilliance of molten gold as it made its nightly descent over the snow-capped peaks of the mountains. The sky had given way to the soft hues of eventide, and the forest had become muted and transformed by the encroaching shadows. The failing sunlight filtered through the thick branches of the trees, and the patches that managed to touch the earth shrank at each passing moment. It was only a matter of time before those last rays were consumed by the night.

For Kakashi, the beauty of twilight was a terrible reminder the precious time he had lost. His thigh was bothering him more than he would like to admit, and he had improvised with a little mud and a tourniquet to help staunch the wound inflicted by Akiyuki's earth-jutsu. Marshland had given way to firm soil but the terrain made little difference to affect his gait. He tried his best to ignore the wound as he chased Pakkun through the dense underbrush. Kakashi could ignore pain, but he cannot ignore how each step seemed to take more effort than the last.

Kakashi noticed how Pakkun was slowing for his benefit-a fact that made Kakashi clench his jaw with frustration. He had wasted too much chakra battling Akiyuki and he had little to spare for when he confronted Kanzaka Masao and his strange power. Kakashi had to learn more of what he was about to face.

"Pakkun! What do you know of that-" Kakashi struggled to find the right words to describe the presence that had bolstered Akiyuki's chakra, and failed. "That _thing?"_

Pakkun glanced behind before replying with a grunt. "Hmph. Don't really know what to call it. I can tell that it was once an entity like myself, but of a much darker sort. It died a very long time ago. That means it's soul is somehow sealed away from entering the realm of the dead."

Kakashi frowned under his mask. He had heard tales of malevolent summons that were frequently used before the existence of the Shinobi Alliance. He had also heard through hushed whispers, of the pacts ancient shinobi made to those spirits in order to entreat their favor. What those whispers revealed was enough to turn the stomach of a battle-hardened veteran such as himself. _'Perhaps,' _Kakashi thought, '_'demon'' is the best word to describe it.' _"If it is as you say," Kakashi pressed Pakkun. "Would breaking the seal destroy it?"

"How should I know!?" Pakkun retorted. "I stay clear away from things like ghosts! For all I know, releasing it would just make it more dangerous. I think-STOP!"

The little ninkin skidded to an abrupt halt and Kakashi had to dig his heels into the soft earth before he could trample his companion. "What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Do you feel that?" Pakkun whispered. The nostrils in his prominent nose flared nervously. The ninkin stood staring up the trail but did not make a move to continue. Kakashi could clearly see the whites of pug's eyes.

Then abruptly Kakashi's skin prickled as he felt it too; It was as if an invisible cloak had blanketed his heart in an attempt to snuff the light from his soul. A sickeningly familiar odor permeated the pine forest, the unmistakable smell of death. Something was awakening. Something terrible was about to be unleashed. And it could only be the demon.

"This is no fight for you," Kakashi said as he brushed past Pakkun. All of his hurts were forgotten, now easily pushed aside. Ahead was an evil from the dark legends of the past and he needed every ounce of his reserves at the ready to face it.

The little pug was grateful for Kakashi to allow for him an honorable way out of the fight. Pakkun was exhausted and could do nothing to aid against such a foe. "Good luck, Boss. I'll not be too far off." Doubtless Pakkun wanted to be a witness to whatever befell Kakashi for the benefit of the other the ninkin.

Kakashi's feet were running before he head the last of the ninkin's words. He pushed away thought and the throbbing pain in his thigh until his mind focused with razor-sharp clarity at the task ahead.

He ran, and the smell grew stronger.

* * *

><p>Urami's eyes bored through the dust like twin fireflies as it followed Masao's command. Iruka sat transfixed in horrified fascination as the demon towered above him. The rotting head -which was as long as Iruka was tall, became less transparent as Urami solidified into something frighteningly real. A foul odor filled the room, it was the putrid rot of opened graves.<p>

_'Move you idiot! MOVE!' _a faraway voice screamed inside Iruka's head, but his body refused to budge. The terrible aura of the demon brought forth horrors of the Nine Tails attack back to life, and Iruka was once again a boy that had lost everything on that fateful night. Every muscle in his body quivered with the instinct to flee-but still Iruka could not move.

Masao cackled from the other end of the building, a dry reedy sound. Urami echoed the old man's delight with a grin filled with fangs that could easily rip a human in two. The sickly-sweet odor worsened when Urami opened it's muzzle to reveal rows of cracked teeth dripping with ruined flesh. The smell pressed against every pore in Iruka's body and filled him with revulsion. Iruka tried to recoil but could only manage a slight shift in his weight. The thatch under his knees rustled and in an instant Urami struck with blinding speed.

All that Iruka could remember in that next moment was the ground erupting beneath his feet. Whether it was ingrained shinobi reflexes or blind instinct that saved his life, Iruka could not say, but he felt cold air brush by his face before he scrambled to get away. The earth trembled under the blow, which was powerful enough to drive into the very foundation of the building. Dust billowed from the floor to envelope the room.

Iruka crouched under a large wooden roofing beam and pressed a hand to his mouth to filter his breathing. His eyes searched frantically for a way to escape, but he could find through the dust save for the open roof. Climbing the walls without chakra would make him and easy target, and with the roof debris all other openings would undoubtedly be blocked. Iruka was trapped inside the shrine with a madman and a monster .

**"Games are useless with me!" **Masao roared, his voice rang with the power of the demon. Iruka flinched as a log flew over his head to smash into the floor. He could judge by its range that Masao had no inkling of Iruka's whereabouts.

Iruka reached for a short bamboo pole resting on the floor. _'I am not as helpless as you think,'_ Iruka willed his grip not to tremble as he held it close to his chest, and he exhaled a shaky breath to help steel his resolve. His mother and father both gave their lives to save their son, and Iruka was no longer a helpless child. _'I survived the Kyuubi attack, and I can survive this!'_

Those thoughts took only moments to race through Iruka's head. He held his makeshift spear ready as his other hand groped the floor for something to distract his enemy's attention. Iruka drew back his foot with a sharp hiss as tendrils of smoke curled around his hiding place. The smoke twisted about aimlessly as if it were the fingers of a blind man. Iruka found a small stone and he immediately tossed it overhead in an awkward throw. It clattered noisily among the wreckage. The smoke started at the noise then disappeared into the dust to investigate.

Iruka braced himself and waited three heartbeats before breaking his cover. He lunged over his hiding place and ran heedless of the rubble stabbing into his bare feet. From somewhere behind Urami yowled for falling for the chuunin's ploy, but Iruka had only eyes for Masao.

The old man made no effort to defend himself as Iruka pulled back the weapon to drive it deep into his chest-and Iruka's thrust jarred to a halt. The end of his spear stuck into the blade of Masao's ancient kunai. Masao had countered the attack faster than Iruka could blink. Iruka threw all his weight behind the spear to drive the razor-edge of the kunai backwards into the old man's face. The kunai held steady with impossible strength.

Masao tilted his face at Iruka, a sneer pulled at his lips. "**Do you think to outsmart me?"** Dark chakra gathered into the weapon. Iruka could not make himself move away from those eyes that gleamed like gold in the failing light. The end of bamboo pole cracked **"I fought in the great shinobi wars!"** Masao roared. **"I am no fool, boy!"**

The bamboo pole exploded in Iruka's hands before the dark chakra hit, and when it did Iruka was thrown off his feet and into the air. Expecting Urami to strike his mouth opened to scream-and then pain exploded up his left side as he slammed against the wall with enough force to bounce. The air in his lungs escaped with a sharp gasp and his eyes went wide and unseeing in reflex.

Iruka sensed his body failing. He focused briefly on his enemies as he fell; Urami floated above Kanzaka Masao and triumph gloated in both sets of golden eyes. A small whimper escaped Iruka's lips. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do to prevent that certainty.

Iruka could not muster the strength to move as the floor rushed to meet his face.

* * *

><p>Kakashi had leaped into the trees shortly after leaving Pakkun. High above the ground he caught sight of an unnatural fog rolling gently across the forest floor, seeming come from the same direction as the terrible scent.<p>

Recalling Akiyuki's fog summon, Kakashi was apprehensive at first but he soon caught on to what it was. It was dust, and through his mask it tasted musty and reeked of neglect. There was serious activity ahead and Kakashi's scalp crawled from the malevolent aura. He no longer needed a trail to pinpoint Iruka's location.

Kakashi lowered his Hitate-ate to help shield his natural eye and pressed on. As much as he loathed to slacken his pace he did not want to yet waste his limited use of the Sharingan. It was his only advantage against Kanzaka Masao's demon.

He abruptly broke into a wide clearing choked with dust. The appalling smell was enough to make Kakashi wrinkle his nose with disgust, and he kept in mind to stay upwind of it. Without cover the copy-nin now had to rely on accuracy and speed to surprise his enemies.

The Sharingan pierced through the murk and the silhouette of a large building emerged. In one swift motion Kakashi yanked his last kunai free and sped into the gloom.

* * *

><p>Iruka lay unable to move on the ground. He had waited for what seemed like an eternity for Urami to deliver the final blow, but nothing other than an eerie silence greeted his anticipation. Iruka tasted blood in his mouth and more bubbled under his nose. He could not understand why he was still alive.<p>

It took great effort to rise from the floor-it was pure _agony_ to do so. The physical strain Iruka had endured had left his body thirsting for its sealed chakra reserves. Every muscle quivered at the sensation of tiny pinpricks crawling beneath his skin, and the base of his skull pounded as it were about to split in two. Iruka knew that the interrupted chakra flows were weakening him as much as his other injuries.

His vision swam before it could settle on Urami's rotting head hovering dutifully above its master. Masao watched Iruka with a strangely guarded expression as the chuunin braced a hand against the wall. Iruka's left shoulder made an ominous creak inside a dislocated joint, and Iruka winced but then did his best to not allow the pain show on his face. He managed to stand, but had to lean against the wall before he could stagger. Not once did Iruka break eye contact with Masao.

Masao impassively returned the stare. Both he and Urami had observed Iruka's progress with neither a twitch or a sound. An air of tension seemed to be about them as they waited for Iruka to do-what? Iruka could not comprehend, then a chilling thought made the breath catch in his throat. Urami was a creature that fed on despair and there was little sport in killing a helpless victim in one easy stroke. Perhaps they wanted to toy with Iruka more.

Iruka steeled himself away from those thoughts. He could not give into despair as long as he was able to breathe, and he refused to die cowering on the floor. He will make his last stand as a shinobi that will not give his enemies the satisfaction of seeing his fear.

Iruka pushed away a strand of his loose hair as a show of defiance. The back of his right hand glistened red as it brushed under his nose that continued to drip blood onto his naked chest. Iruka wearily kept an eye on his unmoving adversaries and stretched his bloodied hand along the wall. A desperate urge had taken hold of him to seek out a weapon; and perhaps Masao would amuse himself by allowing his captive the luxury of another bamboo stick. Iruka did not care if the protection would only be an illusion.

His hand groped blindly for something to grasp, and finding nothing propped against the smooth wall Iruka tentatively shuffled to his right to broaden his search. At the moment Iruka moved Urami's bulging yellow eyes flared with a warning hiss.

Iruka started at the sound before his hand passed through a deep depression in the wall. Iruka stumbled, and instinctively craned his neck to see what he had encountered.

It was the altar that held the statue of Urami. Iruka had not realized that he had been thrown so close to the tiny shrine, and he was immediately struck by the oddity of its appearance.

Aside from the spilled fruit offerings and spent incense sticks the altar looked as clean as if it had been freshly scrubbed. Iruka could see no evidence of the roof's collapse inside the altar; not even a loose pebble or a speck of dust invaded its domain. It was all a clear sign to him that the area was sealed inside a barrier. Iruka specialized in barrier seals and understood that such a high-level jutsu able to withstand such destruction would only be used to protect something incredibly valuable…and it could only be one thing.

Iruka glanced at the small statue depicting Urami as it once lived: a white monster with the sleek body of a feline and the head of a feral dog. The porcelain features of the demon were fixed into a snarl over tiny fangs tipped with red paint. It was exactly as Iruka remembered from his strange dream-all but for a few dark spots of color that stained the pristine white of the glaze. The rust-colored marks came uncomfortably close to resembling dried blood. Iruka tore his eyes back to Masao and Urami, both were now apprehensively watching his movements.

The blood ritual Masao had performed as a child surfaced in Iruka's memory and its significance struck him like a thunderbolt. The altar itself was the reason why Masao had not attacked; it was too dangerous to risk wielding Urami so close to the heart of the shrine-and around that fragile source of power.

Iruka had to be sure and he risked twitching his right foot as if he meant to step closer to the shrine. The ghostly form of Urami recoiled and Masao's eyes creased to betray his worry. Iruka had been right-but surely he himself would not be a threat with a powerful barrier in place.

Unless…

_'I'm also connected to Urami!'_ Iruka recalled the ancient kunai hovering over the statue as it dripped the mingled blood of his ancestor Hashibara Yasunori. The statue had to be the key to destroying Masao's link with Urami. Without any hesitation Iruka lurched to thrust his good arm into altar. His skin tingled with an icy chill inside the barrier. But before Iruka could grasp the statue everything seemed to happen at once.

Urami howled with rage. **"Get away from that!"** Masao shrieked and flung the ancient kunai. Iruka dropped in time for the weapon to bounce off the invisible barrier and he acted on reflex to dive after it-forgetting to take into account the state of his weakened body, and too late Iruka realized that fumbling for the kunai had been a fatal mistake. The weapon brushed against his fingertips before his stomach painfully hit the ground, and for a moment he gaped as it clattered away. Then the reek of decay assaulted Iruka's nose and he felt the cold shadow of death loom above.

Not wanting the demon to be the last thing he glimpsed in this world, Iruka squeezed his eyes shut and unconsciously curled into a himself. He thought of his last sight of Konoha- his beloved village enveloped by the clear summer night and with lights twinkling in the far off distance-now all an unreachable beacon of hope. He will never see his home again.

Iruka's injured arm was wrenched free and a ragged scream tore from his throat. He was only vaguely aware of being dragged, of his backside scraping against the ground before he was lifted into the air. The pain was unbearable, his dislocated shoulder felt as if it was about to be ripped from the joint. He was going to be torn apart limb from limb.

His scream was drowned by an explosion that consumed everything into pandemonium. Iruka's eyes opened but focused on nothing. The unearthly shrieks of the demon rang in his ears as the world spun in a nauseating blur of motion with a dark figure as the sole center of the chaos. His head snapped into a jarring halt and Iruka gasped when his forehead hit something pliable. The dark figure was now smothering him, and Iruka kicked feebly to get away-but his naked heels only skidded across the ruined floorboards. The pressure tightened with enough force to squeeze the breath from his lungs.

"Be _still!"_

The gruff voice made Iruka freeze and his heart skip a beat. He blinked, and saw that he was pressed against the rough cloth of a flak vest. Iruka dared not believe his ears, and he dared not hope. He lifted his eyes…

It was Kakashi.

The familiar press of the copy-nin's body was something Iruka did not think that he would ever feel again. Kakashi was alive! Iruka wanted to weep with relief, but instead his parched throat struggled to say the other man's name. "Ka-"

"Don't speak!" Kakashi hissed. He held Iruka tight against his chest, his gaze fixed on a faraway point to where Masao and the demon laid hidden by the thick dust. Iruka then registered how Kakashi's appearance. The silver hair hung limp without its usual luster, and his pale skin had taken a sickly pallor with dark circles framing his eyes to give him wasted look. It was all a frightening sign of chakra depletion taking its toll, Kakashi had been pushed to his limits battling the combined powers of Masao and Akiyuki. Iruka could not imagine the sight he himself made in comparison.

Kakashi bent his head to whisper faintly into Iruka's ear. "They can't see us just yet." The Sharingan swept briefly over Iruka's battered form-one glance was all that Kakashi needed to take in Iruka's condition. "I'm going to release one of the major seals blocking your chakra. They will sense you the moment it's gone, and when it is I want you to run."

"No!" Iruka struggled against Kakashi's grip. He recognized the grim determination that was set in the other man's face; Kakashi expected to die in order to buy him time to escape. Iruka would not have it, not now or ever. "I have to stay. I must reach that statue!"

"Statue?" The Sharingan swiveled to peer through the dust. "_That's_ the seal?" Kakashi said incredulously when he spotted the altar. Iruka could understand his misgivings. An enemy would not typically flaunt his weakness out in the open.

"It's inside a barrier," Iruka's explanation came out in a rush as he tried pry himself out from Kakashi's arms, but he may as well have tried to move the Hokage monument. He felt as weak as a newborn. "It's sealed by a blood jutsu, but I can break through!"

"You're hardly in any condition to fight!" Kakashi snapped as he scooped an arm under Iruka's knees in order to change their location. He deftly leaped about on silent feet to avoid the tendrils of Urami's smoke that crept through the ground and in the air. A primal growl from Urami rumbled inside the building.

"**Murderers! The lot of you!"** Masao cried from somewhere in the dust. The snap of breaking wood resounded as if the demon were venting its frustration on whatever was nearby. Urami's thrashing, fueled by Masao's temper only intensified the choking dust. **"You killed my Jiro! Both of you will PAY!"**

Iruka clung to Kakashi as he was carried. He pressed his face into the filthy flak vest to help muffle his words. He did not want his desperation to give away their position. "I did it before I fell," Iruka's voice trembled, he was now pleading. Kakashi _had_ to see reason! "You will just get yourself killed and Masao will never stop hunting for me. This is the only way to end it!"

Kakashi landed on a broken beam jutting from the wall. His feet did not disturb a single pebble as he crouched on his perch with Iruka's legs dangling over his knees. Urami had ceased his thrashing and the dust was beginning to settle. Kakashi's face set as if he had reached a decision. "What do you have in mind?"

Iruka craned his neck to scan the ruins of the shrine. His eyes flickered to where the old man and his demon were undoubtedly guarding the altar. "I will need a distraction."

Kakashi hesitated, and then his gloved hand shifted to grip the base of the chuunin's skull. Iruka went rigid the moment Kakashi's chakra penetrated the seal Jiro had made. Like the torrents of a river freed from a dam, Iruka's chakra surged violently throughout his body and his eyes rolled to the back of his head in a breathless gasp. The unleashing of his chakra was an ecstasy that bordered on pain. Colors seemed to become more vibrant and the smells more sharp. It felt _wonderful_ to feel alive again.

Kakashi bounced off the beam to land a fair distance from the walls upon a mound of roof thatching. Iruka slipped from Kakashi's arms and found that he was only a little unsteady on his feet. His injuries continued to hamper him, but with the aid of his newfound energy Iruka was now able to push the sensations away. The dust whorled violently around the two shinobi. It was their only warning before Urami's yellow eyes appeared as its grisly head surged through with a roar of triumph.

Kakashi roughly pushed Iruka aside and produced his last kunai. He surprised both Iruka and Urami by darting around the demon to head straight for Masao hiding in the dust. Urami jerked it's attention away from Iruka, suddenly uncertain of whom it should attack. The survival of its host won through and it turned follow.

Almost immediately Iruka heard Urami's jaws snapping at empty air as it chased the elusive copy-nin. Iruka wanted nothing more than to aid Kakashi but understood that the jounin had the upper hand as long as he retained his use of the Sharingan. With a heavy heart, Iruka made for the altar by keeping close to the wall, knowing that he would eventually stumble upon it. Iruka used as much stealth as he could manage without losing speed.

**"No! Get away!"** Masao cried, and Iruka heard the sound of cracking wood followed by a rush of Urami's malevolent chakra.

"Almost had me that time!" Kakashi jeered from somewhere faraway. "What a mess! You really should think about giving your pet more obedience training." The copy-nin clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. "Perhaps you could teach it to dig a grave for your friend Akiyuki back at the swamp?"

The goad had the desired effect. Both Masao and Urami cried out and Iruka heard the sound of more wood breaking in Kakashi's direction-opposite from Iruka's position. **"Damn you!"** Iruka could easily envision the spittle that flew out with the words. Masao had completely lost his mind with rage. **"I will tear out that cursed eye! I will **_**blind**_** you!"**

Iruka quickened his pace. So intent was his concentration that he almost missed the glimmer of metal on the ground sticking out from the rubble. Iruka paused long enough to inspect it with his foot, and underneath the mess he discovered the kunai that had nearly cost him his life.

It was the same ancient kunai his ancestor had thrown to cripple a defenseless child, and the very one Masao had in turn used to curse the Hashibara bloodline. Iruka snatched the kunai and tucked it into a pocket sewn in the hem of his trousers. Feeling a little more at ease with a weapon again he continued in his search and soon discovered the depression marking the altar.

Iruka wasted no time plunging his good arm into the barrier to seize the little statue of a living Urami. It was roughly the size of a small teapot and surprisingly heavy. The tingling sensation of the barrier jutsu could not compare to the unnatural cold of the statue; it felt like a solid chunk of ice almost cold enough to burn. Iruka's first impulse after pulling it free was to smash it into the ground but the evil power emanating from it made him hesitate to throw it away.

It was in that moment of indecision when a drop of blood fell over the right side of the statue's face. Iruka had not noticed during all the confusion that his nose was still bleeding. The splash of blood staining the snowy likeness of the demon gave it an even more savage appearance. Iruka gasped and nearly dropped the statue in surprise as the spot of blood began to smoke and sizzle into the porcelain like a volatile acid. "My blood?" he asked himself. _'No, the blood of the Hashibara!'_

The earsplitting scream of a wounded beast pierced the air. Iruka looked up in time to see Kakashi racing at him with streams of dust trailing from his limbs. Iruka had the presence of mind to hug the statue as the copy-nin hooked an arm around his middle to haul him out of the way-just before Urami plowed into the altar and right through the wall. The shrine shook from the impact and dust billowed from the gaping hole like a living thing making good its escape.

**"Urami-sama!"** Masao wailed and gestured wildly from his wheelchair to beckon the demon inside. Urami did not heed the command and floated outside the hole howling and clawing at its face where Iruka's blood had hit the little statue. The demon tossed its head about in a vain attempt to shake off the agony of bubbling flesh that spat wisps of smoke into the air.

Masao was breathing hard, his withered body strained at the effort of wielding the maddened demon. His golden eyes swept across the ruins of the shrine- which was no longer shrouded by dust-and immediately fell upon two figures sprawled on the ground, a few paces away. Masao let out a crow of delight and wheeled himself around the rubble to reach for the fallen Konoha shinobi.

The back of Kakashi's armored vest had been ripped to shreds under the backlash of Urami's attack. The copy-nin had used himself to shield Iruka's unprotected body, and he now laid stunned on top of Iruka with a gash bleeding above his brow.

Iruka heard Masao cackling and he struggled to roll Kakashi off his back. The bulk of Kakashi's weight had settled on Iruka's bad shoulder, and his grip around the chuunin remained tight even in his unconscious state. Both of Iruka's arms were trapped against the floor around the cursed statue, which burned like cold fire against his skin.

Attracted by Masao's laughter Urami floated back into the shrine to gain strength from its host. The bubbling wounds had ceased festering and the additional injuries gave the demon a more fearsome appearance. Half of the rotted flesh around its muzzle had melted away, and exposed bone glistened around rows of sharp teeth. What was left of Urami's face pulled into a terrible parody of a grin.

Iruka saw Masao's features take on a cruel gleam, and it reminded him of a child about to pull the wings off a butterfly. It was the most horrible expression Iruka had ever seen on a human face. Panic born from sheer desperation gave way to a surge of adrenaline and Iruka shifted Kakashi enough to give his elbow enough room to jab the jounin painfully in the ribs.

Kakashi awoke with a grunt and in an instant he rolled to his feet and dragged Iruka out and away from Masao. _"Now!"_ Kakashi cried as he turned weaponless to face Urami, his arms stretched wide as a blockade.

Iruka pulled the statue to his face and swiped it under his nose to smear blood across its length. Urami screamed as its transparent body began to bubble and spew, and among the putrid stench of rot came the addition of burning flesh. Kakashi took a step back in alarm as Urami thrashed about like snake-coiling and uncoiling about itself as it writhed heedlessly against whatever lay in its path. The hollow shell of the shrine shuddered from the abuse and rained debris from the remaining walls.

The statue continued to burn in Iruka's hand but refused to crack. Iruka felt hostile eyes upon him and looked to see Masao glaring with unspeakable hate. Masao reached into his grey robes to withdraw the ancient kunai-and then the ugly expression softened with confusion when he discovered his most prized possession missing…and Iruka was reminded of what he had tucked inside the hem of his trousers.

Masao's eyes widened with horror the moment Iruka whipped the kunai free to raise it high above his head. A shriek of despair was all Masao could do when Iruka stabbed down with all his might, right into the body of the statue and through his blood. The kunai easily pierced the porcelain and the statue flew apart into shards that were as delicate as eggshells.

The tip of the kunai made a dull sound as it broke something that had hid for countless eons inside the statue of the demon. Iruka found that he had hit a fragment of a jawbone. It was dark with age and held a few scraps of dried flesh clinging to vicious teeth. The fragment was no bigger than Iruka's fist, and he had only a brief glimpse of Urami's earthly remains before it began to crumble away.

A hitch-pitched mewling sound resonated in Urami's throat as it ceased in its death throes as its smoky body began to drift apart in all directions. The light in its golden eyes grew dim before it was snuffed out. The last sound the demon made was almost a whimper as the gates of death closed over the malevolent ghost, forever sealing Urami and its power away from the living world.

Masao gave a wheeze before he toppled from his wheelchair. "No! no no no!" he sobbed into the floor. After a moment he tilted his face on Iruka who sat a few paces out from his reach, and madness consumed the old man. Masao dragged himself forward to reach Iruka's hunched back, his useless legs trailing behind. His dark eyes-now that of an ordinary man-burned with a feverish intent to strangle Iruka with his bare hands alone.

Iruka rose purposefully from the floor and slowly turned to face Masao, the ancient kunai held ready in his fist.

Masao froze at the expression on the young man's face. Shadowed by the failing twilight, the brown eyes that he had once compared to Minako now promised his death. Masao could only compare that gaze to that of Hashibara Yasunori's contempt. All of the lives Kanzaka Masao had cut short-all of the blood he had spilled to fuel his power-had amounted to nothing. He was right back to that moment before he sold his soul to Urami-and for the first time since that fateful night, Masao was afraid.

Kakashi watched with baited breath as the spectacle unfolded before him. Years of battle and a lifetime of violence made him fully aware of what would happen next. It was Iruka's right to slay the murderer of his family, and Kakashi would not deny him that vengeance.

Iruka stared down at his defeated enemy. He recalled Tohru's terrible weapon made from the blood of countless Hashibara clansmen-little Shizu manipulated for murder-Minako's terrible death-and of his grandfather Torichi who had been forced to flee his clan to live in fear and hiding. Unforgivable was hardly a word to describe what Iruka felt; Masao had made it his lifelong quest to execute all from the Hashibara bloodline and had taken from Iruka family that he had never known existed-family that Iruka never had the _chance_ to be a part of. The loss was almost unbearable, and it made Iruka feel alone in a way that he never had before. Without realizing what he was doing, Iruka's lips pulled into a snarl.

For a long time Kakashi watched the emotions play on Iruka's face, and then he closed the distance between them to reach for the trembling fist. He took care to avoid the kunai as his thumb brushed over the chuunin's knuckles in a gentle caress. Kakashi would stand by Iruka's side, no matter what path he chose.

The kunai clattered noisily on the floor. It had slipped from Iruka's grasp. Kakashi's uncovered eye blinked as Iruka exhaled a shuddering breath. "I never wanted to be a part of this war." Iruka said quietly in a voice that was weary and almost void of emotion. His fist opened to allow Kakashi's fingers to intertwine, and he then regarded the pathetic man cowering before his feet. "And I do not want any more of _his_ blood on my hands." Iruka pulled free from Kakashi to turn away, now refusing to acknowledge the sight of his former adversary. "In time only the villagers will remember your name, but only as a monster to frighten their children to bed." The flat tone Iruka spoke held a note of finality. "You will not be mourned Masao, and I can only pity you for that."

Masao laid utterly stunned, and he could only watch incredulously as Iruka began to make his way for the broken section of wall to the open air outside. "Y-You coward!" Masao sputtered when he finally found his voice. Drool flew past his lips as he screamed "FINISH ME!"

Kakashi plucked the ancient kunai off the floor and studied the razor-sharp blade. Masao quailed under jounin's merciless expression and became silent. Kakashi's uncovered eye appeared bemused as he glanced over his shoulder. _'A man who can show mercy even to his enemies.'_ Kakashi spun the kunai in his hand before driving it point-first into the floor, positioning it over half an arm's reach from the old man. It was far more than what the old bastard deserved, but he had a feeling that Iruka would not want even Masao to suffer without an easy way out.

Iruka marched with his face stubbornly set into a stoic expression, heedless of the rocky terrain that stabbed into his feet. Kakashi easily caught up to his pace and the jounin unzipped the ruined flak vest to drape it around the Iruka's bare shoulders. The evening had taken a chill that had little to do with the weather. Together they walked away from the echoing screams of Masao cursing them from inside his prison. Kakashi put a comforting arm around Iruka, and Iruka leaned into the offered warmth but did not raise a hand to wipe away the tears that streamed silently down his face.

The warm glow of the sun had long since disappeared behind the mountain range. A few stars shone faintly in the vast indigo of the clear summer sky, and more tiny pinpoints flickered into existence as if emboldened by those first hesitant few. The night was a world of shadows, and darkness a thing to be feared-but soon more stars than any mere human could count will be unveiled, and then the darkness would seem as if it existed just so they could shine brighter.

**End of Chapter 11**


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